Interesting facts about chocolate

June 2, 2009 | In: Food facts

The oldest known civilization of the Americas (1500 – 400 B.C.), The Olmecs, were probably the first users of cacao.

Although chocolate drink was invented or discovered by the Aztecs, who called it xocoatl, it was only in the 18th century that solid chocolate was invented, somewhere in Europe.

Chocolate was re-born in 1879 when Daniel Peter and Henre Nestle introduced milk chocolate to the world. In the same year Rudolphe Lindt introduced the conching process which makes chocolate smooth and soft.

In Europe, the explorer Christopher Columbus is thought to be responsible for introducing the cocoa bean to the European continent. Columbus is thought to have brought back cocoa beans on his return from the New World, in 1504.

The first chocolate house was opened in London in 1657. Chocolate cost 10-15 shillings per pound and was considered a beverage for the elite class.

Small amounts of chocolate may not hurt your dog, but once a dog develops a taste for the sweet, it’ll stop at nothing to get more. And in large amounts, chocolate can lead to epileptic seizures and poisoning.

Chocolate does not cause or aggravate acne, this is a myth.

Every year on February 14th, Japanese girls give chocolate hearts to their loved ones. The gesture is copied by the men one month later on “Howaito” white day.

Americans eat 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate each year, almost half the world’s production.

On average, each person in Britain eats roughly 9kg of chocolate per year (equal to about 3 bars a week).

An interesting fact about chocolate is that the shelf life of a chocolate bar is approximately one year. You can place it in a freezer and keep it practically forever, but dark chocolate will turn whitish in color on the outside.