7 Chocolate Facts

Chocolate is one of the most beloved food product in the world. How can one not love chocolate? We eat it to help out with our sweet tooth, we use it to calm down when we are nervous, we use it to create amazing and delicious cakes, and least but not last, we use it to complete a perfect gift for the loved ones. I am sure that many of you eat chocolate on a daily basis, or at least a few times a week. So, here are 7 chocolate facts that I found really fascinating. Maybe you haven't even heard of some of them.



Simply the smell of chocolate triggers the theta brain waves. These theta brain waves represent deep relaxation and a state of creative inspiration. I don't know about you, but I certainly feel more relaxed and creative after eating chocolate.

I am sure you heard and you've eaten M&M candies. But did you know how they were designed and why? They were initially created in 1941, for the American soldiers to be able to enjoy on duty (in warm climates) the amazing taste of chocolate, without it melting. Moreover, during World War II, M&M's were sold exclusively to the military.
The largest chocolate bar was created in the UK, in 2011. It weighed 5792 kg (12770lb/4.48oz). That is huge, and that's why they made it into the Guinness Worlds Records.

The scientific name of the cocoa tree is Theobroma, which basically means "food of the gods". I think we can all agree that this sounds about right!
And about this scientific name Theobroma, did you know that chocolate can be poisoning for dogs? Do you know why? Chocolate has a component named Theobromine. Humans can easily process this component, but for dogs, it isn't so easy to process Theobromine. Therefore, they can

accumulate in their body a surplus of this component, and it can be deadly poisoning for them.

Do you know where the cocoa trees grow? I have to say that I did not know for sure until I did my research to write this post (shame on me!). Cocoa trees grow in Western Africa. One of the largest resources is Cote d'Ivoire, but I also have to mention Ghane, Nigeria, and Cameroon which are also big cocoa production regions. Unfortunately, there were some discussions about the slave labor in these areas.

And finally, the big question: is chocolate good for our health? Recent studies show that cocoa is indeed very good for our health. That is why specialists recommend eating dark chocolate, which has over 70% cocoa. But this shall be another topic, for another post.
I don't know about you, but I was surely impressed by these 7 chocolate curiosities. Let me know what you think, and don't forget to share/pin.