Chocolate refers to some types of edible products that are obtained from cocoa beans. The latter are the seeds of a tropical tree - cocoa. There are various interesting facts about chocolate, telling about its origin, healing properties, contraindications, types and methods of use.
Chocolate is a delicious delicacy that everyone loves, from the smallest gourmets to people of advanced age. They worship this dish, arrange holidays in his honor, open museums and devote entire exhibitions to it. Therefore, there is something to tell about chocolate.
A bit of chocolate history
For the first time, chocolate appeared among the Aztec, Olmec and Mayan tribes . But exactly how this product came about, where it came to us from, who exactly opened it to the world, nobody knows to this day. But there is a version according to which chocolate comes from Mexico. The Aztec supreme god, Quetzalcoatl, possessed a magnificent orchard. A variety of plants grew in it. Among them were very unsightly cocoa trees, and their fruits had a bitter taste and unusual appearance. The king thought for a very long time how to consume these tasteless fruits, and what to do with the trees themselves.
And once, one thought came to him: God cleansed the cultures from their peels, crushed them to a powdery state and filled them with water. Quetzalcoatl really liked the resulting drink, as it inspired joy and gave strength. The drink was called "chocolatl" and after a while became widespread among the Indians. As a result, the new dish was given the name "drink of the gods." Christopher Columbus, who visited Mexico, was honored to taste this nectar.
Interesting facts about chocolate are also associated with Anna of Austria. After all, it was thanks to her that this product came to Europe. When the future queen was 14 years old, she married the king of France, Louis XIII. In a foreign land, the girl experienced incredible longing. In order to somehow create the atmosphere of her home and to cheer herself up a bit, she drank hot chocolate, which she brought with her from her country. Anna also brought a huge number of strange fruits unprecedented in France and a handmaid who knew the recipe for making chocolate. Later, the queen taught her husband to use a new drink. She tried to know with all her might to get food and drinks, which the king himself dabbled in. That's how chocolate began to spread throughout the European continent.
Richelieu, Casanova and Chocolate
Such famous historical figures as Cardinal Richelieu and the ladies man of Casanova also have some interesting facts about chocolate. Suffering from many ailments, the French cardinal drank a chocolate drink on the advice of his doctor. Richelieu drank chocolate every morning, not knowing that the doctor was secretly adding medicine there. Soon the cardinal recovered. It is not known what gave the greatest effect - drugs or chocolate, nevertheless, but the product has since become the best drug.
Lovelas Giovanni Casanova also began her day with a cup of a delicious drink and was sure that he owed it with his unquenchable “masculine power”. Casanova treated black liquid chocolate and her lovers to warm them up a bit.
The most interesting thing about chocolate
We will try to give all the most interesting facts about chocolate below. So, the first chocolate bar was made in 1842 by the English factory Cadbury. Today, Côte d'Ivoire is the largest cocoa producer. This state accounts for about 40% of all global product shipments. Every year in the world, revenue from chocolate sold exceeds 83 million US dollars. But this is not the limit - economists say that demand in the near future will grow by another 15-20%.
Cocoa trees grow in Central and South America, Southeast Asia and West Africa. To make 400 grams of chocolate, approximately 400 cocoa beans must be used. Dark chocolate is more beneficial for your health. White and dairy varieties will not bring as much benefit as their dark "relative" will do.
Many, many years ago, only the elite layers of society could afford the use of sweet sweets from cocoa beans. In Barcelona in 1870, the first mechanical machine that made chocolate was designed.
Chocolate good
The benefits of chocolate were noticed by Indian tribes. Modern scientists have only confirmed their theories. So, it is proved that a cup of hot chocolate helps the wounds to heal faster, increases the tone of the body and relieves a person of fatigue. Chocolate lovers may not worry about the onset of a disease such as atherosclerosis. The essential oils contained in the product prevent the deposition of cholesterol on the walls of blood vessels, and therefore the disease will not develop.
Neurosurgeons and cardiologists also note the benefits of goodies. So, in patients who regularly consume sweets and tiles from cocoa, blood clots do not form. And the flavonoids present in the product protect against heart attacks and strokes. 50 grams of goodies every day prevents the development of ulcers and cancer.
Goodies Production Process
The production of chocolate is a long and difficult process, which begins with the fact that cocoa grains are extracted from the fruits. They get rid of the gelatin ball that surrounds them, and leave the beans for fermentation for several days. During this time, elements appear that subsequently affect the cocoa flavor. Then the grains are again cleaned and fried at a temperature of 120-140 degrees. During this process, the taste of the final product is formed.
Further, the production of chocolate looks like this: fried grains are ground into gruel, which is then finely ground and cocoa butter and sugar are added. Now you can also add almonds, liquor, milk and other components. In order to give the chocolate sweetness and aroma, the resulting mass is cleaned of the smallest grains and mixed in special tanks for several days.
Such a composition cools to a temperature at which chocolate looks most appetizing, and is poured into molds. Shaping is the final step in making chocolate. The molds are filled with liquid mass, then the product cools down, it is easily removed from the containers and sent for sale.
Museum expositions
Chocolate is such a popular and beloved delicacy that in almost every country there is a museum of chocolate. In such an institution you can learn a lot of interesting things about the product and its history, as well as try out its various types. One of the best museums is located in Belgium. And this is not surprising, because this country is considered a chocolate state, and its sweets are the best in the world. The institution is located in the city of Bruges in the old castle of Harze and is called Choco-Story. The chocolate collection of the royal dynasty is presented here. The museum has a bar Choc, which sells 44 varieties of chocolate cocktails.
An interesting museum of chocolate is in Prague. The Museum of Vladimir Cech is dedicated to chocolate as a drink. An entertaining exposition demonstrates the history of the product. There is also an interesting exhibition of paintings painted with liquid chocolate. After viewing the exposition, visitors can pass the exam and, as a reward, get a sweet tile and a few grains of cocoa.
Chocolate Celebration
In addition to museums dedicated to cocoa delicacies, in many states every year a cheerful celebration of chocolate is held. The most famous is the Eurochocolate festival, which takes place in the Italian city of Perugia. Approximately one million people attend the event annually. The celebration gathers approximately 200 chocolate makers from all over the planet.
Local authorities also regularly organize a chocolate festival in Paris, where world food manufacturers offer visitors to the festival not only drink and eat chocolate, but also put it on themselves. The Paris celebration is considered the largest on the planet.
The chocolate festival in Ukrainian Lviv is the youngest since it was founded only in 2007. It takes place every year on Valentine's Day. On this day, everyone has the opportunity to try only the best chocolate delicacies.
Caution Chocolate!
Many sweet tooth today have a chocolate addiction. To understand if you have become addicted to this product, follow your behavior: if you notice that you cannot fall asleep until you have a chocolate bar and drink a cup of a fragrant hot drink from cocoa beans, you can be sure that you are suffering this affliction. It is comparable to alcoholism and drug addiction, and therefore requires immediate treatment.
Dependence on chocolate causes psychological reasons. Indeed, on television often broadcast colorful commercials urging you to eat a chocolate bar. And it’s hard for a person to resist, especially if a delicious tile is stored in the nightstand. Also, addiction provokes cocoa, in which there are many substances that stimulate the production of the hormone of happiness - phenethylamine. Thus, chocolate is an excellent antidepressant.
As a result of excessive consumption of chocolate in the body, there is a shortage of substances necessary for its functioning. This leads to the development of many ailments. Therefore, you must get rid of chocolate addiction as quickly as possible.
Unusual types of chocolate
Everyone knows that there are four types of chocolate: bitter, milk, dark and white. But today there are chocolate sweets, which are a curiosity, especially for the domestic consumer. For example, chocolate made from camel milk. It is produced in the United Arab Emirates. Experts are sure that such a variety is much more useful than usual, and it can be used even for people suffering from diabetes.
A Swiss company supplies absinthe chocolate to the European market. At the moment when the sweetness begins to melt in the mouth, it releases the bitterness of tincture of wormwood, and the taste of chocolate is especially acute. The product contains only 8.5% alcohol, so it is impossible to get drunk from it.
Dark chocolate with salt is now also available. This is an organic product that is produced by an American company. The composition of the tiles includes sea salt, but you can find specimens with pepper and salt, with salt and ground coffee, as well as with salt and cane sugar.
The most expensive chocolate in the world
For more than one century, the American company Chocopologie by Knipschildt (Connecticut) has been offering the most expensive exclusive chocolate in the world. All inhabitants of the White House are crazy about him. Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain also loves to enjoy American sweetness. This chocolate is made exclusively by hand. One pound of this delicacy costs $ 2,600.
Is there any harm
Many skeptics believe that chocolate is not capable of doing anything but harm. Sweetness only affects people who are prone to allergies, people with diabetes, and individuals who cannot limit themselves to eating food. Everyone else can, with a calm soul, enjoy the divine taste of the delicacy, which will benefit them exclusively.