Fun with Chocolate

Did you know...

• "Chocolate" comes from the Aztec word "xocolatl" meaning "bitter water."
• Chocolate is the most craved food in the United States due to its unique flavor and sensory properties.
• The Swiss are the largest chocolate consumers per capita. They eat 22 pounds of chocolate per year.
• One ounce of chocolate contains 6 mg of caffeine. One cup of coffee contains about 100 mg of caffeine.
• The Mayans and Aztecs used cocoa beans as a form of currency. Back then money did grow on trees.
• One cacao tree will produce about 5 pounds of chocolate per year.
• In seventeenth century England chocolate carried a duty of 15 shillings per pound, making chocolate worth ¾ its weight in gold!
• One chocolate chip gives you enough energy to walk 150 feet. 35 chocolate chips provide you the energy needed to walk one mile. If you eat 875,000 chocolate chips you will have enough energy to walk around the world!
• It is a myth that chocolate produces acne. Recent research has found that there is no direct link between chocolate consumption and acne.
• One day a researcher walked past a radar tube and it melted a chocolate bar in his pocket. Because of this the microwave was invented.
• Chocolate provides a significant amount of magnesium and iron, which are minerals the body needs.

Chocolate comes from cocoa beans grown on the cacao tree. The cacao tree is native to Central and South America. The Mayans were the first to discover the cacao tree and produce chocolate. Cacao in the Mayan language meant "food of the gods." The cocoa beans were ground and made into a bitter drink. The Mayans traded the cocoa beans with the Aztecs as their empire expanded. Montezuma, the last emperor of the Aztec empire, was known to drink only chocolate.

Chocolate was then brought to Europe by the early Spanish travelers, namely Columbus and Cortez. For many years chocolate was only know by the Spanish nobility. In later years the secret of chocolate was discovered by most of Europe and chocolate houses began to emerge.

Chocolate was taken back to America by the English colonists, but now as a sweeter food. Today the United States is the greatest consumer of chocolate spending about $13 Billion per year to enjoy the “food of the gods."

All of these recipes take very little time and they are great to show off to friends and neighbors. Fun for kids too!

If you have some chocolate recipes that you would like to share, email them to us at customerservice@chocolatemelter.com. We would love to post them on our site for our all our customers.

If you would like to be made aware of new recipes or new products please send message to us at customerservice@chocolatemelter.com.