9 facts about chocolate

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

According to scientists, about half of the world's population loves chocolate. Are you also one of the fans of this delicacy? Let's talk about chocolate then. Don't forget to stock up on a chocolate bar before you start reading!

1. We are made for each other

Chocolate is an amazing product. It is ideal for lying somewhere next to a person and then being eaten. The tiles melt at a temperature of 36.1 degrees. Just a fraction of a degree below human body temperature. They are best kept at room temperature (not refrigerated). And melt gently in your mouth.

Most sweets only harm us. Chocolate is a pleasant exception. It is beneficial because it contains antioxidants that prolong life and flavonoids that prevent blood clots. In addition to cocoa beans, chocolate contains protein, calcium, magnesium, iron, as well as vitamins A, B and E. Studies have shown that chocolate lovers generally have higher immunity than those who never touch aromatic bars. Of course, everything is good in moderation. According to doctors, it is optimal to eat two or three chocolates a month. About chocolate many books have been written.

2. Declaration of independence

Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine. This is an analogue of caffeine, it gently stimulates the cardiovascular and nervous systems, causes a surge of strength. Its effect is much weaker than that of caffeine, and therefore theobromine is completely harmless. High quality dark chocolate contains the most theobromine. To get a deadly dose of this substance, you need to eat, according to various sources, from ten to fifty kilograms of chocolate. Theobromine was discovered by the Russian chemist Alexander Voskresensky in 1841.

In addition to the stimulants theobromine, phenylethylamine, and caffeine, chocolate contains small amounts of cannabinoids (chemicals from the same family as the constituents of marijuana). It is thanks to them that chocolate is really able to improve mood. The content of these substances is negligible and cannot produce a pronounced narcotic effect.

Some scientists still say that chocolate addiction is possible. But it is purely psychological, and it can be compared to "addiction" to caramel candies or purchases: people strive to get again everything that gave them pleasure.

3. Chocolate is in my blood

Scientists from the University of Helsinki claim that if a woman eats a lot of chocolate during pregnancy, her baby is born completely healthy in almost 100 percent of cases. In addition, children of chocolate lovers have excellent nerves and can easily cope with stressful situations. They laugh much more often than those who did not receive chocolate before the moment of birth, and subsequently have a more cheerful disposition.

4 Vendetta for your favorite sweet

In the seventeenth century, the addiction to chocolate became the cause of murder. In the Mexican town of San Cristobal de las Casa, high-born townspeople were so in love with this drink that they refused to follow the church decree: they were forbidden to eat or drink during Mass. Soon, the bishop of the Chiapas area, who issued the ban, was found dead: he was poisoned by pouring poison into a cup of chocolate. According to rumors, he died with a smile on his lips.

5. We treat teeth

Chocolate is not the most dangerous sweetness for the teeth. And if it is black and contains almost no sugar, it may even be good for the oral cavity. The tannins in chocolate prevent the growth of bacteria.

What's more: Scientists at Japan's Osaka University believe that chocolate toothpaste can be especially effective in cleaning teeth. In the husk of cocoa beans there is an antibacterial substance that "fights" plaque. This husk is usually discarded during the chocolate making process. But, perhaps, in the light of new data, the husk will be used in the production of chocolate in the future.

6. Design mania

Chocolate is a fashionable object of creative application. In the portfolio of many designers, you can find a chocolate bar with an unusual look or with an original wrapper. For example, Bloomsery & Co. sells tiles with creative titles. Chocolate "Dechox" is designed to rid people of mental toxins. And the tile "Family Happiness" is divided into two parts, the large one is marked "for her", the smaller one - "for him."

British designer Tihti Kutchamuch thought about dieters. Poor fellows buy chocolates with slogans like "20% more!", And later their conscience torments them. Therefore, she made tiles for losing weight, which are 20-30 percent smaller than usual. Also on sale are chocolate pencils, letters, keys, records.

7. Deadly tile

If for a person chocolate is more useful than harmful, then for our smaller brothers it is truly poisonous. In the human stomach, theobromine is broken down almost instantly. The stomachs of animals are arranged differently, it is difficult for them to assimilate this substance. A standard 200 gram bar of dark chocolate contains a lethal dose of theobromine for a small dog weighing 25 kilograms. A dangerous dose is 10-15 grams of chocolate per 1 kg of animal weight. For cats, parrots, horses and rodents, chocolate is also very dangerous.

Hawaii even tried to spray chocolate chips to rid people of ecologically damaging tree frogs and slugs.

8. Chocolate master

The most famous confectioner in Russia, who is engaged in the creation of statues and various figurines from chocolate, is 38-year-old native of Latvia Aldis Brichevs. For twenty years he has been fond of sculpting "delicious sculptures" from caramel, marzipan and chocolate. Brichevs considers chocolate "the finest material for architecture, albeit as capricious as a woman." Making some masterpieces took him several days, and all this time Aldis ate only kefir and Borodino bread: he was afraid that other products might overpower the smell of chocolate. Aldis does not use molds and does not make "fittings": his works are completely made by hand, consist of chocolate, without a solid base inside.

Making a chocolate figurine yourself is not so difficult. Pour the crushed chocolate into a saucepan and melt it in a water bath, stirring constantly. Then pour it into a mold and let it freeze.

9. Food of the Gods

The Olmecs, who lived on the coast of Mexico three thousand years ago, have left very little information about themselves. One thing is certain: they knew how to make a wonderful drink and called it "cocoa". The Maya Indians who replaced the Olmecs considered chocolate to be the food of the gods. The priests prayed to the god of cocoa and made sacrifices to him. And the botanical name of the plant from which the chocolate is made is Theobroma cacao, which in Greek means "food of the gods", from theos - God and broma - food.