Chocolateism

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Chocolatey Facts

Aztec emperor Montezuma drank 50 golden goblets of hot chocolate every day. It was thick, dyed red and flavored with chili peppers.
(Now that’s Hot Chocolate!)

Columbus brought cacao (chocolate) beans back to Spain on his fourth voyage in 1502.

Hershey's Chocolate was introduced in 1900.

Cole Porter got a kick from fudge. He had nine pounds of it shipped to him each month from his hometown.

The fruit of the Cacao tree grow directly from the trunk. They look like small melons, and the pulp inside contains 20 to 50 seeds or beans. It takes about 400 beans to make a pound of chocolate

Never give a dog chocolate, as it contains theobromine, which is a central nervous system stimulant. As little as 2 ounces can be lethal to a small dog.

Bittersweet chocolate is what is usually called for in baking.
It contains more chocolate liquor (at least 35%) and less sugar than sweet chocolate.

Semisweet chocolate contains 15% - 35% chocolate liquor.

Chocolate syrup was used for the blood in the famous shower scene in the Alfred Hitchcock movie 'Psycho'. The scene lasts for about 45 seconds in the movie, but took 7 days to film.

Hawaii is the only state that grows cacao beans to produce chocolate.

In the U.S. chocolate candy outsells all other types of candy combined, by 2 to 1.

Seven billion pounds of chocolate and candy are manufactured each year in the United States.

Americans consumed over 3.1 billion pounds of chocolate in 2001, which is almost half of the total world's production.

There were 1,271 U.S. manufacturing establishments producing chocolate and cocoa products in 2003. These establishments employed 43,379 people and shipped $13.5 billion worth of goods that year. California led the nation in the number of chocolate and cocoa manufacturing establishments (with 146) followed by Pennsylvania (with 120).

posted by Great Wild Fun @ 2:31 PM 1 comments

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Chocolate Myths

1) Chocolate causes acne, or eating chocolate can worsen acne . This was once a widely-accepted statement, but further research has shown that eating chocolate does not cause or exacerbate acne. Acne is caused by hormonal imbalances.

2) Chocolate contains caffeine. True, but only a fraction of the amount contained in regular coffee and some teas. Estimates for caffeine in foods and beverages vary widely, but I’ve seen figures ranging from 60 to 100 mg of caffeine in 7 to 8 ounces of instant coffee; in brewed coffee, that figure starts at 80 mg and can go up to 135 mg. Caffeine in tea varies according to tea type. Eight ounces of black tea might contain 40 to 50 mg of caffeine, while the same quantity of green tea would have around half that amount, and white tea has roughly 15 mg of caffeine per 8 ounces. By contrast, 1 ounce of dark chocolate has about 20 mg of caffeine, and an ounce of milk chocolate, half or less of that, 6 to 10 mg.

3) Chocolate causes weight gain. This can be accurate; if you eat too much chocolate, you’ll probably start to put on pounds. However, the same applies to eating too much of almost anything. Yes, chocolate is a high-fat food, and if you’re concerned about your weight you ought to limit your intake of high-fat foods. But chocolate can be enjoyed by most people---in moderation

4) Chocolate causes hyperactivity in kids and/or worsens ADHD. A link between chocolate consumption and hyperactivity in children has not been established. That also applies for any link suggested between sugar consumption and hyperactivity. However, it has been suggested that consumption of chocolate and/or sugar (as well as of some other foods) can cause symptoms that mimic those of ADHD or hyperactivity.

5) Chocolate is an aphrodisiac. An especially popular urban legend. Some evidence suggests that cocoa is, in fact, a mild aphrodisiac. However, chocolate contains over 300 different chemical compounds. Scientists still don’t understand exactly why people react so positively to chocolate or crave it; theories on both subjects are plentiful. Such being the case, it seems reasonable that they might not fully grasp chocolate’s effect on the human brain yet. Certainly, chocolate puts many people in a very good, more relaxed mood---particularly women. And there’s never any telling where a good, relaxed mood can lead you…

6) Chocolate is healthy for you. No it isn’t. Chocolate provides pleasure, it provides comfort, it provides a temporary respite from the many cares of this wearying world. Make all the claims about antioxidants and minerals you want, but those are in pure cocoa powder; when comparing nutritional density with other foods on a per-calorie basis, chocolate scores very poorly.

7) Chocolate raises your cholesterol level. Untrue. Chocolate does contain saturated fat, the type often associated with elevated levels of LDL. But the saturated fat in chocolate consists primarily of both stearic and oleic acids, neither of which has been linked scientifically to higher LDL numbers.

8) Dark chocolate gives some people headaches. While it can be difficult to establish a genuine cause, dark chocolate apparently does give some people headaches. The same people often get headaches from red wine and aged cheeses. Some researchers have associated this with the chemicals in chocolate, including caffeine and theobromine; others say these headaches occur most commonly in those prone to migraines.

9) Chocolate causes cavities. Your dentist will have to find another scapegoat; this is not true. In fact, there is speculation that the cocoa butter in chocolate coats the teeth and prevents plaque from forming. The sugar in chocolate is a contributor to dental cavities, but so is the sugar in any other food. Additionally, chocolate melts quickly in your mouth, so it doesn’t leave a long-lasting residue as do some sticky candies, like taffy.

10) People can be addicted to chocolate. Yet another myth. Chocolate cravings can seem overpowering at times, but chocolate is not a habit-forming drug after the manner of heroin or cocaine.

11) We shouldn’t eat chocolate because producing countries use child slaves to tend and harvest the cocoa beans. This is a complex issue, but the short answer is that child slavery is apparently not nearly as prevalent as had originally been thought. In the late 1990’s, articles alleging that child slavery was common on cacao farms in West Africa began to be published. These led to great outcries. But subsequent reports found that almost all of the children found working on such farms had some degree of kinship to the farmer. Additionally, many did not work full-time. Inhabitants of cacao-producing regions are often poor, and because of that it’s frequently necessary for children in such areas to help on these plantations.

posted by Great Wild Fun @ 2:24 PM 0 comments

Friday, November 2, 2007

General Chocolatey Stuff

Chocolate comprises a number of raw and processed foods that are produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. Native to lowland tropical South America, cacao has been cultivated for three millennia in Central America and Mexico, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. All of the Mesoamerican peoples made chocolate beverages, including the Maya and Aztecs, who made it into a beverage known as xocolātl, a word meaning "bitter water". The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor. After being roasted and ground, the resulting products are known as chocolate or cocoa.

Much of the chocolate consumed today is made into bars that combine cocoa solids, fats like cocoa butter, and sugar. Chocolate has become one of the most popular flavours in the world. Gifts of foil-wrapped chocolate molded into different shapes have become traditional on certain holidays: chocolate bunnies and eggs are popular on Easter, coins on Hanukkah, Santa Claus and other holiday symbols on Christmas, and hearts on Valentine's Day.

Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and cocoa.

posted by Great Wild Fun @ 4:10 AM 0 comments

Hi! This blog if full of chocolate...sorry... stuff about chocolate - hope you enjoy it!

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