It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that chocolate is incredibly popular. In fact, people consume over 7 million metric tons of chocolate annually. Indeed, chocolate has been a household staple enjoyed by all. Despite how popular it is, it’s rather surprising how little people actually know about this sweet treat. This is why we thought it would be useful to put together a brief article about chocolate. If this is something that you’re interested in learning more about, read on for four interesting facts about chocolate.
Chocolate Wasn’t Always Sweet
While chocolate nowadays comes in the form of sweet treats, it wasn’t always this way. Chocolate was originally consumed in liquid form and was generally a little bitter. This all changed in 1847 when the British chocolate company Fry and Sons introduced the concept of eating chocolate. This new form of chocolate was made by combining cocoa butter, sugar, and chocolate liquor and was more grainy than smooth.
Chocolate Affects the Brain
Not only does it taste delicious, but it can also have some positive effects on our health and wellbeing. In fact, recent studies have shown that the mere smell of chocolate can increase theta brain waves, which trigger relaxation. So, what exactly are the benefits of eating chocolate? Well, for one, it could potentially help to reduce stress levels. This is because chocolate contains tryptophan, which the brain uses to produce serotonin, a hormone that causes generalised euphoria. In other words, eating chocolate really does make you happier.
White Chocolate Isn’t Really Chocolate
If you’re a fan of chocolate, you’ve probably enjoyed your fair share of white chocolate. But what exactly is white chocolate, and why isn’t it considered “real” chocolate? As it turns out, the answer to both questions is fairly simple. White chocolate is made from a blend of cocoa butter, vanilla, and sugar. It doesn’t contain any cacao solids or cacao liquor, which is what gives chocolate its characteristic brown colour. Because of this, white chocolate is technically not chocolate.
Chocolate Used to Be More Expensive Than Gold
While chocolate nowadays is seen as a luxurious product, chocolate used to be way more expensive. Cacao beans were used as currency in Mayan times, and were considered more valuable than gold dust. So much so that the cultivation of cacao trees was restricted to keep the value of the beans in check.
Conclusion
We hope this article proves to be useful when it comes to furthering your understanding of chocolate. As you can see, there areloads of different things that you never knew about chocolate. While this all may seem trivial, the information that we’ve laid out above should allow you to have a better appreciation for chocolate. Be sure to keep everything you’ve learned here in mind so that you can enjoy chocolate to the fullest.
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