Wouldn't it be wonderful if there was a trivia game dedicated entirely to chocolate? The questions would be about chocolate, the microphones would be made from chocolate, and even the host would be a gigantic chocolate man with fantastic hair. Considering some of the bizarre shows on the air right now...we won't name names; you can use your imagination...a chocolate trivia game might not be too far fetched! So, just in case they start holding auditions soon, here are some tasty facts for you to chew over:
-The Latin name for the cacao tree is Theobroma cacao, which translates to "Food of the Gods".
-The Spanish recognized chocolate's naturally high calorie count and nutritional benefits from the very beginning. During the 16th century, chocolate came to play a very important rule in Catholic fasting rituals where solid food was considered taboo. After much debate, the church allowed people to drink liquid chocolate during times of fasting as a source of nutritional sustenance. Fasting never tasted so good!
-No one is quite sure how the secret of chocolate leaked out of Spain and into the rest of Europe (read our post on the history of the chocolate if you want to learn more), but several theories exist: Some believe that a group of English Pirates stole chocolate from a Spanish ship and proceeded to introduce it in England; others believe that Italian merchants purchased the secret of chocolate while on a business trip to Spain; Still others believe that a royal princess of Spain married King Louis XIII of France and "spilled the beans" about the tasty Spanish treat. Who knows what really happened? All we can agree upon is that we're glad it did!
-In his thriller, "Physco", Alfred Hitchcock used chocolate syrup as blood during the infamous shower scene. It's a little gross, but oddly tasty too.
-70% of people prefer milk chocolate. Men prefer dark chocolate more than women do.
-Switzerland is the largest chocolate consuming nations in the world: the Swiss eat roughly 22 pounds of chocolate per person a year. America ranks 12th, eating 11 pounds per person a year.
-Looking for the most expensive chocolate in the world? Look no further than Knipschildt Chocolatier in South Norwalk, Connecticut. At a whopping $250 per truffle, Fritz Knipschildt's creation, the Madeleine, was named the most expensive chocolate in the world. A pound of these babies would cost $2600! Want to order one for that special someone or maybe just bask in its glory? Check out Knipschildt's website.
-The melting point of cocoa butter (a key component of chocolate) is just below body temperature-98.6 degrees. That's why chocolate melts so easily in your mouth...and hand if you're not careful.
-Legend has it that Giacomo Casanova, history's greatest lover, consumed huge amounts of chocolate for its properties as an aphrodisiac. He was even known to drink a mug of cocoa right before his...shall we say...dalliances with the ladies.
-Chocolate contains tryptophan and phenylethylamine, two chemicals that when released in the brain create the sensation of falling in love. Unfortunately, recent discoveries have noted that there isn't enough of either chemical in chocolate to be an effective aphrodisiac.
-Not all chocolate is created equal! A large number of chocolate products on the shelves actually contain very little "real" chocolate. Some inexpensive chocolates are even blended with wax! The quality of chocolate not only depends the quality of cacoa beans, but also the care that was originally given to the cacoa tree and the amount of cocoa butter within the chocolate. Very little sugar is actually added to high quality chocolate.
-Although westerners love chocolate, Asia's not so sure. The Japanese typically only consume about 4 pounds of chocolate per person, while the Chinese eat less than one pound of chocolate per year.
-The world consumes about 600,000 tons of cacoa beans per year. It takes about 400 cacoa beans to make one pound of chocolate. You do the math.
-America's favorite ice cream topping is chocolate sauce and 60% of chocolate lovers also prefer chocolate milk!
Those are just a few scrumptious tidbits to keep you satisfied. Feel free to whip them out at Chocolate Fest on September 15th and wow your friends, families, and our chocolatiers!
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