Life Is Like A Box of Chocolates

Don't deny it, we've all given into our chocolate craving. Millions of pounds of chocolate are consumed each year throughout the world, but the tasty treat we know today didn't start out so sweet. In fact, chocolate is made using cacao, which was discovered 2,000 years ago in the rain forests of the Americas. The ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America used the cacao seed in many royal and religious events in which they combined the seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, bitter drink.

• The cacao seeds come from a plant called Theobroma cacao, which translates to 'Food of the Gods'. 
• The word chocolate comes from the Aztec word 'Xoxolatl' meaning bitter water.
• The Aztecs used cacao seeds as a form of currency.

European Influence

Spanish conquistadors brought the seeds back to Spain and hid them away in Spanish monasteries where new drink recipes were created.

• The drink was quite fashionable throughout Spain among the nobility and wealthy, as they were the only ones who could afford it.
• It took nearly a century for the news of cacao and chocolate to spread across Europe. In 1606, it was discovered in Spain by an Italian traveler and then taken to other parts of Europe.
• Europeans added milk and sugar for sweetness, and drinking chocolate became a very popular pastime. By the 1700's, chocolate houses were as prominent as coffee houses in England.
• During the 19th century, Briton John Cadbury developed a process to make solid chocolate, creating the modern chocolate bar.
• Richard Cadbury came up with the idea for the first heart shaped box of chocolate in 1861. Seven years later, John Cadbury began mass producing them.

Health Benefits

Many studies have been conducted throughout the years to uncover the health benefits chocolate provides.

• Physician, Henry Stubbe (1632-1676) considered drinking chocolate once or twice a day a cure for fatigue caused by hard work. He also believed it had heart health benefits.
• Chocolate contains over 300 mineral properties that are beneficial to your health.
• If you are feeling anxious or stressed, eating dark chocolate can help by reducing stress hormone levels and the metabolic effects it has on the body. 
• Dark chocolate can assist in weight loss, as it lessens the craving for sweet, salty, and fatty foods.
• Chocolate contains a chemical known as Phenylethylamine which releases serotonin and endorphins, two known chemicals that make us happy. 

Next time you are in the mood for something sweet, grab a piece of chocolate!