Happy National Chocolate Day! To commemorate this delicious day, we should brush up on our chocolate-related skills and facts about chocolate.

Facts About Chocolate| What Is It?

• It takes 400 cocoa beans to create a pound worth of chocolate.
• Every cacao tree produces about 2,500 beans.
• The research to date suggests that chocolate is a good choice for a healthy, balanced lifestyle and diet.
• A typical portion of milk chocolate contains approximately the same caffeine content as one cup of decaf coffee.
• Because cacao trees are fragile, farmers will lose around 30% of their crop every year.
• Research has proven that one of the primarily saturated fats found in chocolate does not contribute to cholesterol like other hard fats. This means that chocolate is a treat in moderation.
• Chocolate is made from a fruit tree; it’s made of seeds.
• Theobroma Cacao is the plant that produces cocoa beans, and the word is the “food of the gods.” Carolus Linnaeus, the pioneer of taxonomy for plants, has given it the name.

Where Is It From?

• There are estimated to be 1.5 million farms producing cocoa in West Africa.
• 70% of the cocoa is sourced comes from West Africa.
• Cocoa is grown by hand on farms that are small and family-owned.
• Cacao leaves can turn 90 degrees, moving from vertical to horizontal, to receive sun and safeguard younger leaves.
• Certain cacao trees are over 200 years old. However, most cacao trees provide marketable beans for the first 25 years.
• The typical dimensions of cocoa plantations located in West Africa are 7 to 10 acres.
• Rudolph Lindt designed the first conching machine. The bed was designed to look like conch shells.
• Cote d’Ivoire is the single largest cocoa producer with around 40% of the global supply.
• Through various programs funded by the industry and its partners, including foundations and government agencies, farmers are now making between 20 plus from their crop.
• The majority of cocoa farms aren’t part of the chocolate corporations.

Who Depends On It?

• Benjamin Franklin sold chocolate in his print shop in Philadelphia.
• Cocoa prices may fluctuate every day, which can affect farmers’ incomes.
• The cacao beans proved useful to the early Mesoamericans. The beans were later used to exchange currency.
• The typical West African cocoa family has eight members.
• An Indonesian cocoa-growing community constructed an immense statue of hands with the cocoa pod.
• Alongside tending cacao trees, family members can also harvest bananas or other fruits.
• Ancient civilizations fermented the raw cacao pod of cacao pod to create other drinks.
• On November 1, Germans are celebrating St. Martin, a knight who shared his cloak and beggar with the lighting of a parade in the evening with sweets, a hot steaming cup of chocolate.
• Around the world, anywhere from 40 up to 50 million rely on cocoa to earn a living.
• Spanish royalty offered cacao cakes in their wedding dowries.
• The Aztec Emperor Montezuma was known to drink fifty cups of cacao every day using a golden Chalice.

Savor It

• It takes anywhere from two to four days to create one single-serving chocolate bar.
• Chocolate has two doses of cocoa butter – the natural amount that comes from the bean and an additional amount to ramp up the creaminess.
• Cacao percentage defines the percentage of cocoa bean-based products by weight in chocolate.
• “Cacao” is how you say “cocoa” in Spanish.
• Champagne, sparkling wine, and other wines can be acidic enough to go with dark or milk chocolate. Try pairing sparkling wines that are sweet with white chocolate and the red wines with darker. It is generally recommended to be sure to match the sweetness of the wine to the sweetness of the chocolate.
• Certain cocoa certification programs are based on the success of a comparable product-coffee.
• Chocolate can make cats and dogs sick, meaning no tastings for your pet and even more for you.
• A farmer must wait for four bis to 5 years for the cacao tree to grow its first bean.
• German chocolate cake is named after Sam German, who developed an edible bar of Baker’s Chocolate. He was not from Germany.
• The French celebrate April Fool’s Day with chocolate-shaped fish as well as “Poisson d’Avril.”

8 Fun Chocolate Facts You’ll Be Glad to Know

Our lives are a time that sees over 7 million metric tons of chocolate consumed each year, yet most people don’t know about this well-known dessert. When you next go out with your companions, indulge and enjoy a chocolate treat, impress them with some interesting chocolate facts.

Chocolate was once a form of currency that literally could be found on trees.

In Mayan times cacao beans were used as a form of currency and were more valuable than gold dust. Cacao bean cultivating cacao plants was limited. In other words, it would be too tempting to cultivate an entire currency!

Chocolate was never always solid or sweet.

Before 1847, it was considered a treat consumed in bitter liquid. The British chocolate firm Fry and Sons introduced the idea of “eating chocolate” after combining sugar, cocoa butter, and chocolate liquor. The result was more grainy than smooth, yet many loved it.

It took eight years to perfect the recipe for milk chocolate.

Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolatier and entrepreneur, spent an entire eight years trying to find how to make milk chocolate that worked. It wasn’t until 1875 that the chocolatier realized that condensed dairy was his solution to his problems. We’re glad Daniel didn’t give up!

In the case of cacao beans, a small amount doesn’t do much good.

It takes around 400 cacao beans to make one kilogram of chocolate. This means that every cacao tree produces between 30-60 pods each year. Each pod is made up of approximately 40 beans. Thus, each tree produces about 2 to three pounds of cacao each year. Consider the case that cacao pods must be picked by hand, and you’ll know why quality chocolate is costly.

White chocolate isn’t chocolate.

White chocolate can’t be considered chocolate since it does not contain cacao liquor or cacao solids. This delicious treat is created by mixing vanilla, cocoa butter, and sugar. But don’t fret. We won’t judge you for it if it’s not one of your top choices.

Chocolate has funny effects on our brains.

The smell of chocolate can increase theta brainwaves, which induce relaxation. A study carried out at Hasselt University in Belgium showed that when the smell of chocolate was infused into bookshops and bookstores, sales of books grew, particularly those that were romance novels. Relaxation, indeed!

The chocolate also contains tryptophan that the brain uses to create serotonin, which is a hormone that produces generalized happiness. Therefore, eating chocolate makes you happy!

One of the top chocolates was a total error.

Cookies with chocolate chips were found by chance. In 1938, a lady known as Ruth Wakefield thought that adding chocolate chunks into her batter for cookies could result in chocolate-flavored cookies. Instead, she came across the recipe that was to become the world’s most-loved cookie][11. Wakefield ultimately gave her recipe Nestle Toll House in exchange for a lifetime supply of chocolate. A great bargain for Ruth!

Chocolate is great for your teeth.

Chocolate has an antibacterial impact on the mouth since drinking cocoa in its pure form has reduced tooth decay. That raises the question of why no one makes chocolate-flavored toothpaste?

Think you’re knowledgeable about chocolate? Don’t be. There’s a lot to discover. Here are additional chocolate facts to delve into.

10 SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE

It is much more than a simple snack to consume while binge-watching Netflix all night. One piece of chocolate has numerous history and mysterious uses that you will be amazed by how powerful it is and how many fascinating chocolate facts are out there. Find below the top 10 details concerning chocolate you may not have known.

It is a Powerful Mental Stimulant

Chocolate can expand blood vessels and even reduce blood pressure. Additionally that it’s extremely efficient at keeping people awake and focused for long hours—a recent study by Northern Arizona University on the effectiveness of chocolate in keeping over 120 subjects alert. After receiving 60% dark cacao chocolate, the participants were kept awake and alert to levels that scientists who conducted the study had expected.

Chocolate Was Used to Make Alcohol

Around 1400 to 1100 B.C., civilizations fermented cocoa beans into alcoholic drinks. The beans were discovered in Honduras Researchers have discovered that it was initially cultivated to produce alcohol and was later used to make the sweet treat we enjoy in our modern-day culture. I would not advise you to buy chocolate that ferments into alcohol for a quick reminder. It likely took years to perfect, and the drinks that ancient civilizations drank had very little alcohol in them.

Solid Chocolate Was Invented in Britain

The original chocolate bars were invented in Fry and Sons, a British shop, in the year 1847. The shop mixed cacao butter with chocolate liquor and sugar to make the most solid chocolate bar.

Chocolate Can Lower Body Fat Levels

The consensus is that If you consume many chocolates, it will cause you to gain weight. It’s not as true as we believed. A study conducted by the University of Granada discovered that the supposedly common knowledge could be incorrect. In 2013, researchers looked at nearly 1500 teens and noted any changes in their waist circumference and body mass index, and the percentage of body mass. Teenagers who consume chocolate have fewer fat deposits in their abdomens and less total fat in their bodies. When trading all your greens for chocolate, make sure you do it in moderation.

It Can Improve Your Memory

Scientists have been studying the effect of chocolate on human health for a long time, hoping to identify health benefits. A study carried out in Columbia University Medical Center may have proved that chocolate could enhance memory. In this study, participants were offered a drink with many flavanols from cocoa. This antioxidant can be found naturally in chocolate. Participants were asked to drink this beverage each for three months while tested on their memory. The group that took this drink showed a 25% higher score than the one-way group. Brain scans were taken in this study and showed an increase in the functioning of the brain region, which helps the formation of new memories.

The First Chocolate Treat Was…

Hot chocolate! Two cultures originally made cacao: Aztec as well as Mexican culture. But, the hot chocolate we enjoy today is quite distinct from the traditional beverage. It was bitter and was typically utilized for special occasions or wedding ceremonies in the past.

Chocolate Has a Unique Melting Point

It is the only food-grade substance that has a melting point of 93°F. It is just below the human body temperature. This is the reason it melts so quickly in your mouth as well as within your palms. But, scientists have come up with the first chocolate that doesn’t melt. In 2012 the Cadbury company declared that they had discovered the method to make more durable chocolate. The chocolate they make can stand up to higher temperatures and not melt because of the finer grinding of sugar. This can also lower the fat content in bars of chocolate.

There are many chocolate-related Holidays.

It’s not just Halloween and Valentine’s Day; there are several holidays dedicated solely to chocolate. July 7 is recognized to be Chocolate Day. It’s a day to commemorate 1550, the first time chocolate was brought to Europe. Although some question the date of the historic occasion, there’s plenty of reasons to be thankful. Also, there is July 27 to celebrate National Milk Chocolate Day, International Chocolate Day on September 13, and on November 7, National Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day. We hope that you enjoyed this chocolate-related fun information!