Tag: Fun Facts

The first instances of chocolate being consumed go back as far as 4,000 years. Some estimates put this date further back to 5,300 years ago. People native to Mesoamerica harvested chocolate pods from high up in cacao trees growing in the wild. It is thought that the pulp was eaten rather than the seeds. The pulp is sweet, whereas the seeds are incredibly bitter.

The idea of adding milk to chocolate was first noticed by Europeans in the 17th century. Scottish-Irish physician Hans Sloane traveled to Jamaica in 1687 and reported that the locals added milk to their cocoa before drinking it. According to prominent historian James Delbourgo, the Jamaicans had been brewing chocolate in this fashion since 1494.

The earliest record of chocolate being consumed was as a frothy brew. There is no record of the recipes that were used, but it is assumed it was alcoholic in nature. It was used by the Olmecs, who passed on their knowledge of chocolate to the Mayans who came after. The Mayans often drank their chocolate with honey and chili.

Chocolate was so important to the Mayans that they used the beans as currency, and chocolate served as an accompaniment to religious ceremonies, as well as for everyday use where it was consumed with daily meals.

The Latin name for the tree that gives us chocolate is Theobroma cacao, which means “food of the gods.” This ties in with the fact that the Aztecs literally believed that chocolate was a gift from one of their gods, Quetzalcoatl, who, after giving chocolate to humans, was condemned by the other gods for this transgression.

Ground cacao beans were hanging in a cotton bag overnight. By morning, the floor was covered in cocoa butter that had dripped from the bag.

Fiji features a cacao pod and Ghana features a cacao tree.

So a shift was made towards chocolate. The colonies could get cacao beans straight from Central America tax-free.

So a shift was made towards chocolate. The colonies could get cacao beans straight from Central America tax-free.

More than 80 years ago, an employee of DeMet’s Candy Company, said that the company’s original recipe of milk chocolate, caramel, and pecans looked like a turtle. The name stuck!

they would encircle the earth 48 times!

Hard bricks, instead of chewy brownies!

Use chocolate frosting and sprinkle with edible gold leaf!

This may possibly be from Montezuma’s ritual of drinking chocolate from a golden goblet.

Higher quality cocoa powder may not keep as long because it has more fat, which may oxidize.

Compounds in cocoa appear to have an aspirin-like effect, improving circulation and making blood less likely to clot.

“Chokola’j” means “to drink together”.

These parties, called chocolat du roi, were social events to which only the very elite were invited.

A carrot has 96 flavor compounds!

Drizzle some chocolate on a piece of wax paper. Place in front of a fan. If the chocolate starts to set in about three minutes, it is tempered.

“Chocolate and the King are my only passions.”

The seeds, once fermented and dried, are processed into chocolate.

It cost five cents!

The drink was called “xocolatl” which means “warm liquid”.

Fiji features a cacao pod and Ghana features a cacao tree.

Use a pizza cutter to keep brownies looking their best.

Use a pizza cutter to keep brownies looking their best.

Ground cacao beans were hanging in a cotton bag overnight. By morning, the floor was covered in cocoa butter that had dripped from the bag.

Hot chocolate is poured directly on the vanilla ice cream square, then immediately put in a freezer for 30 seconds so the chocolate can set.

Winnowing removes the meat (also known as the nib) of the bean from its shell.

They were listed for sale in the Sears, Roebuck, and Company catalog.

Chocolate syrup, of course!

Chocolate ice cream was one of the first ice cream flavors since common drinks such as hot chocolate, coffee, and tea were the first food items to be turned into frozen desserts.

Dr. Filippo Baldini wrote a treatise entitled, De sorbetti, in which he recommended chocolate ice cream as a remedy for various medical conditions, including gout and scurvy.

Although vanilla is considered the most popular flavor of ice cream, ever since the Italians froze hot chocolate in 1692, chocolate has been a close second.

They were published in Naples, Italy, in Antonio Latini’s, The Modern Steward.

Forrest Mars is the genius behind the Mars bar, M&M’s, and the Milky Way.

False. Making one ounce of chocolate requires up to 35 beans.

Switzerland leads the world in chocolate consumption with 22.36 pounds per person, according to a survey by Chocolate Manufacturers Association.

The United States, Germany, Switzerland, and Belgium

No, it was invented by a Dallas housewife in the 1950’s. She used Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate, named for 19th-century American chocolate maker, Sam German.

The Mayans are most often credited with inventing drinking chocolate in 500 B.C., though recent evidence suggests the brew could date back even further (2,500 – 3,000 years!)

Cocoa butter (main source of fat in chocolate) contains oleic acid, the monounsaturated fat in olive oil, and stearic acid, a type of saturated fat that doesn’t raise “bad” LDL cholesterol.

M&M’s – “melts in your mouth, not in your hands!”

Because cacao trees are so delicate, farmers lose, on average, 30 percent of their crop each year.

This makes it the world’s second biggest exporter of the cocoa bean, second only to Ivory Coast.

Now called Snickers, the Marathon, a British candy bar, was created in 1930. It has always been called a Snickers in America. In 1990 Mars, Inc., which makes the peanutty chocolate snack, decided to change its name in the UK to match with the US brand.

Typically, semisweet chocolate has a lower cacao content and is sweeter than bittersweet or dark chocolate. Cacao is the defining ingredient in all chocolate and chocolate products.

Most cocoa – about 70% – comes from West Africa with the average size cocoa farm being 7 to 10 acres.

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Forrest Mars is the genius behind the Mars bar, M&M’s, and the Milky Way.

A 1.4-ounce piece of chocolate contains 6 to 23 mg of caffeine.

False. Making one ounce of chocolate requires up to 35 beans.

Switzerland leads the world in chocolate consumption with 22.36 pounds per person, according to a survey by Chocolate Manufacturers Association.