25 sweet facts about chocolate

Every year on July 11, the sweet lovers mark world day of chocolate (World Chocolate Day). Day chocolate was invented and first held by the French in 1995.

Chocolate is undoubtedly one of the best inventions on earth. Milk, dark, white — everyone will find something to your liking. We eat chocolate when hungry, eat it, being depressed, eat when we are well. Chocolate is an integral part of our lives, but you can bet that there are many interesting facts that you never knew existed.

1. Cacao trees can live to 200 years, but the fruit they are only 25 years old.

2. Annually, Americans eat 1 billion pounds of candy. Half of them are chocolate.

3. Chocolate is full of antioxidants, especially dark chocolate, in which many flavonoids (antioxidants that help prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases).

4. About 40% of the almonds and 20% of all peanuts produced in the world come for chocolate products.

5. According to new research, if there is chocolate, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of complications during pregnancy.

6. The largest chocolate bar weighed 5.8 tons and was made in the factory of Thorntons plc in the UK on 7 October 2011.

7. In the famous film Psycho Alfred Hitchcock used Bosco chocolate syrup for scenes with blood.

8. The word "chocolate" probably comes from the word "xocolātl", which in Nahuatl means "bitter water".

9. For the production of 450 grams of chocolate it takes 400 cocoa beans.

10. Studies have shown that dark chocolate improves memory, attention, reaction time and problem-solving skills by increasing blood flow to the brain. In addition, dark chocolate improves vision in conditions of poor visibility (e.g. during rain) and helps lower blood pressure.

11. The Aztecs believed that cacao seeds were the gift of the wisdom of God, they were so significant that some time was used as money.

12. The largest and oldest chocolate factory in the USA — Hershey's. It was founded by Milton Hershey in 1894 and produces more than a billion pounds of chocolate annually.

13. The most valuable chocolate bar in the world is Cadburry, which has already turned 100 years old. It belonged to captain Robert Scott on his first expedition to the Antarctic. Chocolate, and not touched by Scott, was sold at auction in London in 2001 for $ 687.

14. Technically, white chocolate is not chocolate at all. It does not contain cocoa.

15. In 2012, Switzerland was awarded the highest consumption of chocolate per capita in the world. Every Swiss eat an average of 11.8 kilograms of chocolate per year. The Americans were in 15th place, eating 5.45 kilograms of chocolate per year.

16. Cocoa grows on our planet for millions of years. This is probably one of the oldest natural food sources.

17. Côte d'ivoire is today considered the world's leading producer of cocoa beans. About 37% of all stocks of cocoa come from here.

18. The first chocolate made in the factory, was produced in Barcelona in 1780.

19. Chocolate was included in the diet of soldiers during the Second world war. In accordance with the instructions from above, its taste was modified so that he was "a little tastier than boiled potatoes". All this is to ensure that soldiers do not eat too fast.

20. Technically, the main ingredients of chocolate are cocoa beans (cacao beans), but throughout the industry, they are known as "cocoa beans", the word "cocoa" — cocoa.

21. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine — amino acid, which has the effect of aphrodisiac and is able to eliminate the symptoms of a hangover.

22. The American army together with Hershey's has developed a new formula has improved heat resistance of chocolate, so it was possible to take with you during the operation "desert Storm". Chocolate bars produced by this technology remained solid even at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius.

23. One piece of chocolate will give you enough energy to get 45 meters.

24. In Belgium the production of chocolate are 17 000 people.

25. The first chocolate intended for mass consumption, was made at fry's chocolate factory located in Bristol in 1847.