The World Chocolate Day will be celebrated during this week with the simple purpose to spread awareness about the delicious and addictive taste which chocolate has. To mark this interesting celebration, we have collected 10 of the most bizarre facts about one of the tastiest foods ever known to humanity. [wpsr_retweet]
Not as bad for your teeth as you may think
The most popular myth about chocolate is that it is extremely bad for people’s teeth and that it causes tooth decay. That, however, is not quite the case. In reality, pure cocoa is actually good for our teeth, because it contains chemicals that have the power to eliminate harmful bacteria in people’s mouths. In fact, chocolate is so healthy for our teeth, that some toothpaste companies are even considering putting it into their products. If that happens, do not assume that you will brush your teeth with a sweet and sugary toothpaste, since sugar is the real troublemaker when it comes to teeth and chocolate.
Before people shopped for chocolate, they shopped with chocolate
In the past, cocoa beans had a very high value. So high that Mayans and Aztecs used it as a currency. They used cocoa beans to trade nearly all kinds of good and even services. That is why only the super rich could allow themselves to drink or eat chocolate. In addition, just like money, however, cocoa beans were also counterfeited in the old days.
The microwave was created thanks to the chocolate
If it wasn’t for chocolate, we would not have never had the microwave today. The inventor of this popular electronic device, Percy Spence, was such a big fan of the chocolate, that he had the habit of always carrying some in his pocket. During WWII he was trying to develop new types of weapons, as well as a radar. While working on his projects, he also used a device named magnetron. What he found whenever he used it, is that the chocolate in his pocket would melt. That is how he realized that this electronic device can warm up food.
Chocolate is scientifically proven to make us happier
No, you are not imagining it! Eating chocolate does makes us happier. The reasons for this is that cocoa contains chemical, like tryptophan, which affect our mood in a very positive way. The feeling you get after eating chocolate is often compared to feeling in love or euphoric.
Not always a source of joy
While chocolate makes some people happy, it also makes others miserable. A great amount of the cocoa produced today comes from chocolate farms which use children as a workforce. Working conditions there are very poor and kids are often tricked into working with promises for a better life.
The chocolate we eat is not really a chocolate
You probably think that the chocolate you buy from the store is real chocolate. Well, it is not. It contains only a tiny percentage of chocolate. As a matter of fact, the actual taste of chocolate is bitter. That is why the word for chocolate comes from an ancient word for “bitter water.” The most popular type of chocolate today is milk chocolate which is characterized with its sweet taste. However, dark chocolate, which has a bitter taste, contains much more cocoa.
Anti-cancer
Chocolate is very beneficial for our health. It is filled with antioxidants that are good for our heart. Moreover, chocolate is one of the few foods that can decrease the chances of developing a cancer. That, however, is the case, when the chocolate has a higher amount of cocoa in it.
Nations which are most addicted to chocolate
The world’s biggest chocaholics are American and the Swiss. The U.S. is the largest producer of chocolate, while Switzerland leads in chocolate consumption per capita. The English also like chocolate and are also ranked in the top three of the world’s biggest chocolate lovers.
Chocolate as big as an elephant
The biggest chocolate in the world was produced in 2011 and it weighed nearly 6 tons or nearly as much as an African elephant. Around 14,000 pounds of chocolate liquor and 17,000 of cocoa butter were used for its making.
Not much left
Currently, the world is seeing a huge chocolate deficit. There are two main factors behind this negative trends – the rising demand for chocolate, as well as the disease which has spread among cocoa trees in Latin America. The good news is that trees in Africa are not affected yet. The bad – prices of chocolate will probably start to increase in the near future.
The world of chocolate is so much more interesting when you exam it under the surface. That is probably why there is an entire day dedicated to this delicious treat.
