So, Who Loves Chocolate?

My daughter, Jaclyn, had to find a book about Chocolate. So I found this as a perfect opportunity to use it twice. We found a book called The True History of Chocolate.

I Love Chocolate. I was surprised at how much the book talked about the many aspects of Chocolate. The book describes the different types of chocolate from milk, white and dark and how they are formed from sugar and milk. Chocolate is native to South America and has been documented to have been used since around 1100 BC. The chocolate we know is produced from seed of the tropical cacao tree. The seeds have an intense bitter taste. After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned and roasted.

Chocolate is one of the most popular flavors in the world. I know that I will get chocolates on Valentine’s Day from my husband. Chocolate is used in beverages, also. Some health benefits have been discovered such as a decrease in blood pressure and reduce the formation of free radicals. It has also been said to be toxic to some animals like dogs and cats due to some alkaloids that are in the chocolates.

The word Chocolate comes from the Aztec and means “bitter water”. The storage of chocolate is sensitive to temperature and humidity. If refrigerated or frozen, the chocolate can absorb moisture and causes a whitish discoloration to form from the fat and sugar rising to the surface. Although this chocolate looks unappealing, the chocolate is perfectly safe to eat.

Many manufacturers use chocolate, but the Hershey Company is the large chocolate manufacturer in North America, in second is the Mars Corporation. We can’t forget about Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, one of my favorite movies. Did I say that I LOVE CHOCOLATE?