Chocolate…

Mmm … I guess everyone loves chocolate! It is a great, delicious dessert, maybe not extremely healthy, but who does not like chocolate? Today I have some interesting facts for you about this delicacy

• The name chocolate in the Aztec language meant “bitter water”. It is hardly surprising. The Aztecs drank a decoction of cocoa beans with the addition of chili, corn, and blackberries. Apparently, they also sometimes added hallucinogens. Such a drink could not be tasty.
• Chocolate stimulates because it contains small amounts of caffeine.
• Chocolate is considered an aphrodisiac (because it contains theobromine and phenylalanine).
• Theobromine also has antitussive properties greater than codeine. So chocolate is good for coughs.
• Animals cannot digest chocolate – two bars can be fatal for a dog.
• The largest chocolate in the world was made in Melbourne (Australia) – it was an Easter chocolate egg 3 meters high.
• Every space expedition had a chocolate on board!
• It is good for coughing because it contains theobromine – an antitussive substance.
• Belgium is the capital of chocolate. As many as 17,000 people work there in chocolate factories!

• The largest bar of chocolate weighed 12.769 pounds (5,792 kg).
• In Belgium – the capital of chocolate – as many as 17,000 people work in its factories.
• Chocolate does not raise cholesterol even though it is high in fat.
• Chocolate allergy is exceedingly rare.
• A great lover of chocolate was Napoleon, who ate a cube whenever he needed an energy boost.
• Cocoa is usually grown on small family farms, not in large corporations (although they are later purchased by them).
• 76% while eating chocolate bunny, bites the ears first.
• The creator of the chocolate chip cookies did not sell his Nestle project for money. He demanded a lifetime supply of chocolate!
• Supposedly, the owner of one of the most famous American chocolate factories – Hershey avoided death on the Titanic because he canceled his cruise at the last moment.
• Chocolate makes us feel better in many ways. One of its “optimistic” ingredients is tryptophan – a protein amino acid needed for the synthesis of serotonin – the happiness hormone.
• Chocolate was once a currency (with the Aztecs and Mayans).
• Chocolate prevents tooth decay (unfortunately not the sweet, milk one – only super bitter). These are cocoa beans which contain substances that fight bacteria in the mouth.
• Who eats the most chocolate in the world? Of course, the Americans. They eat over 50% of the world’s resources. Europe eats 40% and the remaining continents 10%.
• Chocolate relieves the feeling of hunger – therefore it is an ingredient of food rations of travelers and soldiers.
• Chocolate improves memory (thanks to phenylalanine). However, for this amino acid to change, you also need to eat some vitamin C.
• 76% of people who eat a chocolate bunny bite its ears first.
• Milk chocolate is a young invention – the first bar was created in the second half of the 19th century.
• More than 20% of the world production of nuts and 40% of almond production is transferred to chocolate producers.
• The very smell of chocolate is enough to relax. It activates theta waves in the brain (which are responsible for the state of relaxation and meditation).
• White chocolate has nothing to do with chocolate (except shape). It does not contain any cocoa.
• Do you know how many cocoa beans are needed to make a kilogram of chocolate? About 800!
• The creator of the chocolate chip cookie did not sell his Nestle project for money. He demanded a lifetime supply of chocolate!
• Chocolate that does not melt was invented so that US soldiers could carry it in their pockets.
• The owner of one of the most famous American chocolate factories – Hershey – escaped the tragic death on the Titanic. At the last minute, he canceled the cruise.
• If you eat a piece of dark, dark chocolate every day, you will reduce your risk of a heart attack by 1/3.

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• Can a man die from chocolate? Yes, but he would have to eat 40 tablets one by one.
• Even though the chocolate is made in factories with high standards, one tablet contains on average 8 insects.
• Chocolate is the only edible substance (apart from butter, but who would eat it with spoons) that melts below body temperature (and therefore melts in the mouth).
• Do you dream of bathing in the chocolate river? Such a river was created in 1971, when the film “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” was shot. Unfortunately, after mixing chocolate with water and cream, the fat quickly went rancid and the river smelled quite unpleasant.
• During World War II, the Nazis wanted to assassinate Winston Churchill with an exploding bar of chocolate.
• The rich aroma of wine is more than 200 flavors closed in one glass. In the case of chocolate, these aromas can be as high as 600!
• Montezuma II – the Aztec emperor reportedly drank 50 cups of chocolate (seasoned chili) a day.
• The traditional way of serving Gingiji (Portuguese cherry tincture) requires a small cup made of chocolate. After drinking the drink, the cup is eaten.
• Eating chocolate can make your heartbeat faster than a kiss.
• Chocolate was the cause of the strike. In 1947, Canadian children went on strike, because the price of chocolate increased by 50%.
• The French company Valrhona claims to have invented a fourth type of chocolate (after milk, dark and white) – blonde chocolate. It was discovered by accident, has the color of caramel and is quite expensive (around 14 euros for a pound). They say it tastes special.

• The most expensive bar of chocolate in the world was sold in 2001 for $ 687. It belonged to Captain Robert Scott from the first Antarctic expedition. The sign is over 100 years old!
• The smell of chocolate is conducive to buying… books. Sprayed in the store, it increases the sales of culinary books and romantic novels by 40%, and of other books by 20% (according to research from 2013).
• Chocolate can be used as a bribe. 70% of Londoners in a 2004 survey admitted that they would have given their email password in exchange for a bar of chocolate.
• In 2016, the global chocolate market will be worth $ 98 billion. This is 15 billion more than in 2010.
• The cocoa tree only produces beans for 25 years (and it lives up to 200).
• Depressed people eat 55% more chocolate than those who are mood disorder free.
• Chocolate is healthy – but only the bitter one. Milk or white has no effect on our health or well-being.
• Milk chocolate was created in 1879. Of course, by accident – throwing condensed milk into a vat of chocolate.

• 1 in 7 people aged 15-24 say life without chocolate is meaningless.
• The smell of chocolate stimulates theta waves in the brain that cause relaxation. These waves are the most common brain waves during meditation, trance, hypnosis, intense dreaming, and intense emotions.
• White chocolate is not really chocolate, because it does not have the most important ingredient of every chocolate, i.e. cocoa. White chocolate is also more caloric than dark chocolate. It has more cocoa fat than traditional cocoa fat, which can additionally cause indigestion.
• About 400 cocoa beans are needed to produce a 450-gram bar of chocolate.
• The largest bar of chocolate in the world weighed 5,792 kg. The record was broken by the company “World Finest Chocolate” from Chicago. It was entered in the Guinness Book of Records. The height of the chocolate is almost 91 cm, and its length is 6.4 m. When creating this chocolate, the previous record was broken almost by a ton.
• Dark chocolate is a great way to lower your risk of heart disease. Eating dark chocolate every day reduces this risk by 1/3.
• It may seem absurd, but chocolate is antibacterial and, what is more, protects us from tooth decay …
• If you are craving something sweet and you cannot resist the temptation, eat chocolate. After eating a few pieces of chocolate, you will feel full and satiated, and the feeling of sweetness will accompany you much longer than after classic candies.
• Chocolate increases our body’s resistance to viruses and bacteria, stimulating blood circulation. In this way, the resistance to viruses and bacteria is strengthened, because the body works better and can protect itself when it is oxygenated.

• A bar of chocolate (approx. 100 g) is approximately 500–600 calories. The most calorific chocolate seems to be milk or filled. However, dark chocolate is the most caloric because it contains more cocoa liquor. Usually, however, we eat more milk chocolate than dark chocolate at a time, hence the impression that milk chocolate is more fattening.
• The amino acids contained in chocolate are involved in the production of serotonin in the body. Serotonin is a hormone that takes care of your well-being, makes you feel content, happy and relaxed. In chocolate we also find phenylalanine, which is great for improving the mood. So, if you are “down” and do not feel like doing anything, the best medicine for you is a piece of delicious chocolate that melts in your mouth.
• cocoa butter grows for up to 200 years! It is not, however, that you plant a cocoa tree once and then profit from it for years. Usable grains are produced for only 25 years. The cocoa tree comes from the humid tropical forests of Central America and South America. The largest number of cocoa crops are currently in Africa.
• The Maya, who invented chocolate, treated it as a luxury item and a currency. Anyway, the Mayans rarely used coins to pay, and used barter trade instead. According to historical sources, even in the 16th century, the Spaniards paid for their work with cocoa beans during the colonial expansion.
• There are three types of cocoa ambrosia – dairy, white and bitter. The French company Valrhona reportedly discovered the fourth type of blonde, and it was completely by accident. It has a caramel color and so far, it is expensive – we will pay 14 euros for half a kilo. Apparently, it is particularly good.

• An adult person could die from eating chocolate, if it would eat 4o bars, one after another.
• Chocolate is made from cocoa beans. The cocoa tree is a plant. Chocolate can therefore be considered a salad …;)