Interesting Things You Never Knew About Chocolate
Nothing can beat the satisfaction you get from a rich and smooth chocolate. Almost everyone around the globe is a huge fan of chocolate, hence making it a multi-billion dollar industry. However, there are tons of hidden facts about it that make it even more attractive. Check out these facts below and learn more about your oh-so favorite chocolate.
Chocolate is a kind of vegetable
Milk and dark chocolate both come from the cacao bean, which grows on cacao tree known as Theobroma cacao which is an evergreen from the family Malvaceae. Didn’t eating your vegetables get more fun and a lot easier?
There are multiple celebrations of chocolate each year
There are plenty of days that give you an opportunity to buy your favorite chocolate bar. 7th July is celebrated as Chocolate Day, as it marks the day when chocolate was first brought to Europe on 7th July 1550. There is also National Milk Chocolate Day on July 28, International Chocolate Day on September 13, and of course, National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day on November 7 every year.
White chocolate is not really chocolate
Apologies all white chocolate lovers! Since it doesn’t contain cocoa solids or chocolate liquor, it cannot be regarded as a chocolate.
Hot chocolate was the first chocolate treat
Both Mexican and Aztec cultures used to brew cacao and enjoy hot chocolate, especially for ceremonial occasions such as weddings.
Cacao was once used as currency
The ancient inhabitants of Mexico, Central America, and South America started cultivating cacao beans far back in 1900 BCE. That bean was also used as currency in the Aztec society. It would be traded for luxury items like jade, food, clothes, etc.
Napoleon loved chocolate
The French leader Napoleon used to love chocolate. He used to command that chocolate should be served to him and his senior advisors even during intense military campaigns.
Cacao trees can live up to 200 years
Cacao trees which are often called ‘gifts from the Gods’ can live up to centuries. But the sad part is that although they can live to be hundreds of years old, they can only produce cacao beans for the first 25 years of their life.
Making chocolate is hard work
Despite the fame and regal status, the cacao beans just don’t turn into chocolate on its own. It takes a lot of hard work; about 400 beans are used to make a single pound of
