Chocolate: Everything You Want to Know
It’s no coincidence that chocolate candies are presented as gifts to women on Valentine’s Day. For most women, chocolate is their one true (and only) weakness, where it’s been proven to affect a woman differently than it does for a man. It’s hard to describe how it melts in your mouth with the right amount of creaminess and sweet goodness. Let’s talk about chocolate: everything you want to know. In case you missed my post How To Make The Very Best Chocolate Cake Ever
Today is Election Day, November 5, 2024. I need chocolate; need I say more? Stay safe, my friends!
Chocolate: Everything You Want to Know
Chocolate has over 4,000 years of history, but it’s only been in the last 150 years that it’s been sweetened to just how you enjoy it today. Eating chocolate may not be as bad for you as you think. Here’s more on chocolate and everything you need to know about it.
Basic Info
Chocolate is made from cacao beans from the theobroma cacao tree. The beans themselves are extremely bitter at first, but then they are fermented, roasted, and melted along with cocoa butter into a paste, liquid, or block while using several sweetening ingredients. It’s one of the most popular foods in the world, used in baked goods, candies, drinks, and even alcoholic drinks.
Fun Facts
Do you have any idea why M&Ms were originally created? They were first introduced to soldiers in 1941 during WWII so that soldiers could still enjoy chocolate without worrying about it melting. Today, selling chocolate is a huge business, with over $83 billion in revenue each year.
Americans today consume around 2.8 billion pounds of chocolate every single year.
Did you know that if you placed chocolate next to a small cube of cheese, a mouse would choose the chocolate every time? Mice love sweets just as much as we do.
There is a compound in chocolate called theobromine, which is poisonous to dogs and can be deadly for certain people as well. Fortunately, for it to be fatal for humans, you’d have to scarf down roughly 22 lbs of chocolate in one sitting. Here is a fun recipe to make with family: Easy To Make Chocolate Truffles
A Little Chocolate History
Anthropologists believe that the ancient Mesoamericans of Mexico were the first to grow and cultivate cacao trees, dating back as early as 1900 B.C. They didn’t eat chocolate but drank it instead, spiced it up with chili, honey, vanilla, and water.
Several centuries later, the Maya and Aztec civilizations also enjoyed chocolate and even worshipped the god of cacao. They coveted the cocoa bean so much that it was often used as a type of currency.
Later, in the 1500s, when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the Americas, they returned home, not with gold, but with chocolate. When chocolate first made its way into Europe, it didn’t arrive as a food but as a bitter drink. It was rather expensive, too, and only the wealthy and aristocrats could enjoy it.
The first chocolate bar was created in 1847 by Joseph Fry. Its texture was creamier, and it was much sweeter and had a superior taste. Companies that are still around today, like Mars, Cadbury, and Hershey’s, took off during the “chocolate boom” of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Types of Chocolate
There are four different types of chocolate, and everyone is sure to have a favorite. Here’s a closer look at them and what you can expect.
Milk Chocolate (Sweet)
Milk chocolate is the most sought-after type of chocolate on the market today. Its smooth and rather sweet flavor is a combination of milk, sugar, and cocoa.
Dark Chocolate
You can expect more dried and ground cocoa with dark chocolate. It’s much more bitter due to less sugar, but it’s good chocolate to bake with. It is also the healthiest of all the chocolates and brings several health benefits. Semi-sweet chocolate is made by adding a little extra sugar to dark chocolate.
White Chocolate
White chocolate technically isn’t even chocolate at all because it does not use cocoa beans but has contents that come from cocoa butter. It’s white and creamy, with a milder sweet flavor.
Ruby Chocolate
Until very recently, there were only three types of chocolate. Now we have one more. Ruby chocolate is the newest type of chocolate, introduced back in 2017. It is white chocolate that’s less processed, with a tiny hint of citric acid. It’s considered to be slightly sweet and yet a bit sour in flavor.
Nutrition Facts of Chocolate
This may shock you, but chocolate (incredibly dark chocolate) can be nutritious for you. It contains substantial amounts of iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, calcium, and decent amounts of potassium, zinc, phosphorus, and selenium. Several antioxidants in chocolate can prove helpful to you as well.
Health Benefits of Chocolate
Yes, you read that right. Chocolate is not only good for you but is something that you should eat. Research has shown several health benefits in eating chocolate when consumed moderately.
If you want to enjoy the most of those benefits, I’d encourage you to eat dark chocolate. It’s certainly more bitter, but it’s the healthiest form of chocolate. Here are some of the benefits of eating dark chocolate.
Prevents Cancer and Disease
Dark chocolate has certain antioxidant properties (epicatechin and quercetin) that help fight free radicals that are trying to cause havoc to the cells in our bodies. Thus, eating dark chocolate may help to prevent certain types of cancers. My Favorite Dark Chocolate
It also helps decrease inflammation and fight off certain diseases, like Alzheimer’s and heart disease. Dark chocolate is especially good for your heart, but not only that, but it also reduces the chances of you having a stroke.
Reduces Blood Pressure
The nitric oxide present in chocolate helps to widen blood vessels, which in turn improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure.
Improves Blood Sugar Levels
Eating chocolate may not sound like the correct way to lower your blood sugar levels and prevent diabetes, but studies have shown that it does just that. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids that help reduce oxidative stress, which is the leading cause of insulin resistance. Just be sure that you enjoy it in moderation.
Brain Benefits Too
Eating chocolate can stimulate the neurons firing in our brains. This helps us with memory and cognition and improves our moods, too. (That explains why we’re happier after eating chocolate.)
Skin Benefits
Chocolate has several skin benefits, too. Certain minerals, such as calcium and manganese, help to keep your skin looking younger and healthier. They also help to renew and repair skin cells, while the antioxidants in chocolate help to protect your skin against harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.
Improves Sexual Drive
Yes, eating chocolate has also been proven to help improve your sex drive, as well as your sexual pleasure. We’re told that’s why the Aztec chief Montezuma drank so much of the chocolate drink.
Final Word
As strange as it may seem, chocolate is both nutritious and delicious. Now, you don’t have to feel so guilty about enjoying a bite of it now and then. What are some of your favorite chocolate recipes and chocolate brands that you can’t seem to stay away from? What do you think about Chocolate: Everything you want to know? It won’t hurt to stock some chocolate, right? My favorite is dark chocolate! May God bless this world, Linda
Copyright Images: Chocolate Pieces Deposit photos_204181522_s-2019, Chocolate on Cloth Deposit photos_107149722_s-2019,
While I enjoy both dark chocolate and milk chocolate, my wife is a milk chocolate only person. I’ve stockpiled milk chocolate Easter bunnies (purchased each year post Easter) and sealed bags of M&Ms for our emergency supplies. Last thing I want is to be stuck at home without chocolate when things get tense. 😉
Seriously though, it’s great to have bags of M&Ms on hand since they last so darn long. Last bag I opened were 4 years past their “best by” date and they taste the same as freshly purchased ones. Unfortunately the new bulk packages of M&Ms aren’t in the tough bags that they used to use, so I’ll be putting new purchases into mylar bags and heat sealing them for better storage.
Thanks for the reminder of why chocolate is so tasty and still good for us. 🙂
Hi DMWalsh, I love every kind of chocolate. Oh my gosh, I bought three large plastic containers of plain M & M’s at Costco. They are perfect for my food storage stash! Yeah, I don’t care what the date is on those (within reason) because I will eat them sooner than I probably should. LOL! We just need a little chocolate and the DARK M & M’s are even better! Linda
Yeah, I don’t trust the seal on those plastic containers they’ve started shipping bulk M&Ms in, so next stocking trip will mean I get out the mylar and seal them up in a known good container.
Thanks for reminding me that Dark M&Ms exist….I’ll need to get a few batches for testing purposes of course. 😉
Hi DMWalsh, for sure I would test the dark chocolate M & M’s!!! LOL! Life is good with chocolate! Linda
Just wish there was a way to LTS it without the oxidation.
Hi Matt, I know, right!!??!! I stock a lot of plain M & M’s and cacao (for brownies). I can always make a chocolate cake or brownies! Linda
You correctly write DARK CHOCOLATE.
Would you recommend not less than 70% cocoa?
Hi Jose, I buy any and all chocolate, some for health reasons, and some just for my sweet tooth. If it’s on sale (no nuts) I can store it for quite some time. Nuts go rancid so quickly.
Linda ~ I like chocolate – preferably dark chocolate in the form of homemade truffles!
The recipe I use has 2 basic ingredients: 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream – bring to a simmer; chop 4 ounces of good dark chocolate (I’ve even made them with semi-sweet chocolate chips). Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl and pour the hot cream over it. Let it sit for 4-5 minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir well and refrigerate. When cold, use a spoon to scoop out 1-2 teaspoons and roll. You can then roll the truffle in dark cocoa powder, finely chopped nuts, sprinkles (the kind for cakes and cookies) or dipped in melted chocolate. You can add a bit of extract to the mix as well: vanilla, peppermint, orange. I prefer mine pretty plain – no extract at all and rolled in cocoa powder.
One type of chocolate you did not mention was Mexican chocolate. I think, though, that Mexican chocolate is in a class by itself! I love to take it camping and make hot chocolate. What I like about it is that it is not sweet like American hot chocolate. I don’t think Mexican chocolate is quite as versatile as other forms of chocolate, though.
Hi Leanne, now I need to make truffles!! My truffle recipes have egg yolks, I have got to make these!! Thank you!! Linda
I cannot imagine life without chocolate. My absolute favorite is Freia Melkesjokolade from Norway. Mmmm…THE best! I order it from a small grocery store in Kansas whenever their shipping containers come in from Norway! I stock up in fall and winter when it’ safe to ship it. When I’m laying on my deathbed, I want a chocolate I.V.!
Hi Robbie, I want the same IV! LOL!! I love this! I need to check on ordering some of that chocolate!!!! I love your comment, Linda
https://www.scottshometownfoods.com – this is the home page.
https://www.scottshometownfoods.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=4194 – this is directly for the chocolate.
I order the melkerull – I love the small, round disks of chocolate that just melt in your mouth. There are no preservatives or additives like the US has. It’s THE best chocolate I’ve ever had and believe me, whatever country we’ve been in, I’ve tried ’em all. Norway is by far my favorite. And I’m not just saying that because my family is from there…LOL.
These people are super nice and kind. I usually order a case at a time and they adjust the shipping costs for actual costs after the “computer” puts in a higher number. It’s too hot to order it now because even with dry ice packing, it’ll melt. So come October/November, they know I’ll be ordering another case! :o)
Hi Robbie, thanks for the links, I’m going to order some when it’s cooler!! Thank you! Linda
Learn something new every day. I had never heard the term Ruby Chocolate. I have never seen it on labels. I need to pay attention better. Thanks for the info
Hi Teresa, I have never tasted Ruby Chocolate, but I would love to try it! It’s so new, I haven’t seen it here in Utah! Linda
Linda,
While I don’t give my dogs chocolate, I’ve heard it’s only dark chocolate that is actually poisonous to them.
Aside from that my knowledge of chocolate is limited to IT’S GOOD!
Seriously, Jane is in holiday baking mode. So far we’re at 8 different types of cookies, including chocolate chip, chocolate coconut macaroons, butterballs, snickerdoodles and assorted other Christmas cookies. I’m telling you losing weight in our house at this time of year is a true test of will. One that I usually fail. And she still hasn’t mede Cinnamon Bread. I help. I do some of the stirring, some of the kneading and ALL of the taste testing! Oh, and I clean up the mess too.
Hi Ray, oh my gosh, I. love hearing she’s in holiday baking mode, yay!!! I love chocolate and I love cookies, I need to bake some! I went to look for a small artificial tree yesterday that would fit in our little house and wow, they have escalated in price like everything else! It may just be a poinsettia this year! Linda
“Did you know that if you placed chocolate next to a small cube of cheese, a mouse would choose the chocolate every time? Mice love sweets just as much as we do.”
NO WAY I am wasting chocolate on mice!!! LOL!
I just put in an order with Azure Standard for semi-sweet chips for my fudge making next month as well as some decadent milk chocolate bars for me!!! And they are both organic!!
I applaud those who can store chocolate for long term! Not me, it is something that “if it is in the house” it will NOT last long! So, I tend to restrict my chocolate for a few times a year and mainly in the fall/winter.
Hi Leanne, oh, I got the giggles over the mouse and the chocolate! I wouldn’t even give them a chocolate chip! LOL! I didn’t realize Azure Standard had chocolate chips! Thanks for that tip! I love it! Fudge sounds really good right now! Have fun making your candy!! Love it! Linda
In the 80’s I was a Manager of a Chocolate Shop. One thing I remember from working there is that if you notice a white patch on your chocolate it doesn’t mean it’s bad. It just means that the oil in the bar has risen to the surface. It’s just as good, but if you need to get rid of the white it’s easy. Just put on rubber glove, or use saran wrap and rub it off. No big deal.
Hi Barb, oh I love learning this, thank you! I always wondered why my chocolate had a thin film of white on it, that makes sense. I still ate it of course! LOL! Love this, Linda
Linda – You know I know how to cook, bake and preserve foods. BUT the thing I am most knowledgeable about is candy. My mother was a fantastic cook/baker/preserver but her candy making before Christmas was out of this world!! I enjoy making candy to give for gifts. Fudge has always been my favorite to make but I no longer make my mother’s recipe because it A) makes so much; B) the ingredients are SO expensive; and C) my newest recipe tastes just as good and only takes 2 ingredients and is done in a slow cooker!!! But mom also made divinity (I also have a recipe for a simple divinity sort of candy), nut brittle (mom always used salted mixed nuts so I cannot call it peanut brittle!), various kinds of chocolate dipped candies, taffy and the list goes on. Our family was large – mom, dad, brother, sister and me at home; sister, her husband and 4 children; aunt, uncle and 4 cousins close by – so not much of her candy went further than our family!! I remember one year we (mom and I) made pecan logs with homemade noug
Hi Leanne, I. KNOW you make the BEST candy, I have shared your recipes and it is one of my most popular posts! I grew up making fudge, taffy (pulls), and divinity! I love Nut brittle, I have made it a few times and it’s my all time favorite besides fudge! Life is so good around the holidays, we get to make our candy and enjoy every minute doing it! Linda
Some people who make Peanut butter Blossoms add the Hershey kiss after baking. My husband adds them before baking. The kisses don’t melt, but the heat changes the taste of the chocolate. I prefer it. It doesn’t work with the dark chocolate kisses.
Hi Chris, oh my gosh, now i want to make them with the chocolate kiss in the cookie before I bake them! This sounds awesome! Linda