Few Amazing Facts About Chocolate You Didn’t Know

By Author: Alan White
Total Articles: 14
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Chocolate is a great favourite for all, be it any age group. We all remember growing up with our favourite chocolate flavoured peppermint creams or the utterly mouth melting chocolate bars. Even for adults, it is considered as a strong aphrodisiac. Thus, it seems logical that we update ourselves with some of the most amazing facts about it.
Chocolate, in reality, is a vegetable
Chocolate is extracted from cacao beans, the fruit of the cacao tree. It is an evergreen tree from the family Malvaceae, which also includes plants like okra and cotton. This makes our topmost choice of any sweet delicacy, a vegetable.
Native place of cacao
As per the story, cacao was first cultivated in 1250 BCE, perhaps even before in Mexico and Central and South America.
White chocolate is not really a chocolate
Because white chocolate lacks any cocoa solids or chocolate liquor, but only some cocoa butter, it is not a chocolate in the strictest sense.
The first chocolate treat
The first chocolate treat was ...
... supposedly the hot chocolate, though it was no way similar to today's hot chocolate that we simply cannot resist. Brewed in both Mexican and Aztec cultures, the first hot chocolate was a typical bitter concoction served in ceremonial and special occasions like festivals, weddings etc.
Cacao was once a popular currency
The cacao beans were valued so highly that the Aztecs used it a currency during the peak period of their civilization.
Chocolate was popularized by Spanish friars
Once Europe became familiar to cacao and chocolates, it was the travelling Spanish friars who introduced it to various monasteries and made it popular throughout the continent.
Solid chocolate is the brainchild of a pair of British Confectioners
In 1847, the British confectionery, the Fry and Sons, concocted the first 'eating chocolate' by mixing cocoa butter, sugar and chocolate liquor to form the first grainy and solid form of this delicious treat.
Milk chocolate was first invented in Switzerland
After eight years of trying to get the right recipe, the Swiss man, Daniel Peter invented a tasty treat called white chocolate in 1875 in which condensed milk turned out to be the main ingredient.
Multiple chocolate celebrations are held each year
Today, chocolate is so popular that a number of celebrations are purposefully organized for all chocolate lovers to indulge in and whet their taste buds. July 7 is celebrated as chocolate day as a mark and a tribute to the day on which chocolate was first introduced to Europe in 1550. There are various other such special events organized throughout the globe.
While we have rounded up some facts, many remain like the French leader, Napoleon has a weakness for chocolates and that churning out the delicious bar, we devour is a hard task. But the bottom line is, it will remain delicious for ages.

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