There is no doubt that most of us love chocolate. It is one of the most popular treats on Earth.
Many people don’t even think when they eat a chocolate bar that this product has an interesting history and hides many curious facts.
In fact, there are many secrets surrounding this delicacy that people don’t even know about. Here are nine fascinating facts about chocolate that you probably never knew.
Chocolate grows on trees
Well, it's not exactly a fruit per se, but close. Chocolate is part of the Theobroma tree, which grows cocoa beans, which are what chocolate is made from.
The cacao pods are harvested, the beans are cleaned, roasted and ground into the consistency we know and love as chocolate powder.
800 beans are used to produce a kilogram of chocolate
To make just one kilogram of chocolate, you need to collect a lot of cocoa beans.
Each cocoa pod contains about 40 beans, meaning farmers must harvest quite a few beans from a tree to produce enough powder.
The theobroma tree produces many beans per season.
Each year of its life, the theobroma can produce about 2,500 beans per harvest season. This means that each tree produces about three kilograms of chocolate, which is about the equivalent of 30 chocolate bars. The bottom line is that it takes a lot of trees to grow chocolate.
Farmers spend a lot of time caring for theobroma before they get a harvest.
Each tree takes about four to five years to produce cocoa fruit, meaning farmers must grow theobroma for a long time to mature before it becomes profitable.
Hot chocolate is an original treat
The very first treat containing chocolate was the drink hot chocolate. It was only available to royalty, as it was considered a rare and highly prized delicacy. When machines were created to produce chocolate on a larger scale, treats and candies made from cocoa became available to the masses.
West Africa produces the most chocolate in the world
West Africa, or Côte d'Ivoire, accounts for 70% of the world's cocoa supply. Chocolate produced in the Ivory Coast has a distinctive, muted flavor that is well suited for commercial use in bar coatings.
The chocolate bar was first invented in 1847
The modern concept of chocolate candy was invented in the UK in 1847 by Joseph Fry and his son. The original chocolate bar became the forefather of an endless variety of chocolate-infused sweets and treats to suit every taste.
White chocolate is not actually made from cocoa powder.
It contains cocoa butter, milk, vanilla and sugar. It stays white because the key ingredient that gives traditional chocolate its rich brown color is eliminated: cocoa mass. That's why white chocolate tastes creamier and lighter than regular dark chocolate.
Chocolate really does make you happier
The act of eating chocolate and the taste of this delicious treat are probably a source of happiness in themselves. But know that chocolate contains compounds that make you happy. The amino acids in cocoa release endorphins and serotonin in the brain, which create the feeling of euphoria.
Earlier we talked about whether it is possible to drink coffee and tea instead of water.
