Chocolate Tidbits & Trivia
- The Mexican Emperor, Montezuma, drank chocolate by the potful, believing it enhanced his sexual prowess.
- Americans bake more than 7 billion chocolate chip cookies each year.
- Chocolate contains vitamin A, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, riboflavin, iron, niacin and thiamine.
- About 90% of all chocolate consumed in the United States is milk chocolate.
- Per person, the Swiss eat 20 pounds of chocolate a year.
- Mayas were familiar with cacao earlier than 600 A.D.
- Cacao bean grows on trees within 20 degrees of the Equator in tropical rain forests.
- In the 18th century, America began manufacturing chocolate; its popularity spreading, in part, because Thomas Jefferson touted its health benefits.
- Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a natural antidepressant.
- White chocolate isn't truly chocolate because it doesn't contain chocolate liquor. It is typically a mixture of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, lecithin and vanilla.
- The annual yield per cacao tree is 20 to 30 pods, each pod containing 25 to 49 beans. It takes 400 beans to produce a pound of chocolate.
- According to the Boxed Chocolate Manufacturers, at least 35 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate will be sold Valentine's Day fueling more than $1.2 billion in sales of chocolate and candy.
- Russians call it shokolandno; Italians call it cioccolate; Germans refer to it as schokolade; the Spanish, chocolate; and the French, chocolat.
- Virtual Chocolate won't put the pounds on, but you might want to join their Chocoholic's Club! Or send some virtual chocolatey greetings!
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