Fun Facts

Impress your friends with your knowledge of this wonderful and lovable substance and you can then proudly call yourself a knowledgeable chocolate-holic. :) Just how much do you know about chocolate ? Apart from it being addictive, did you know that it has less caffeine than coffee. Ten percent of U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of iron is found in one ounce of baking chocolate or cocoa. It is reported that Napoleon carried chocolate with him on his military campaigns, and always ate it when he needed quick energy. Although chocolate is not an aphrodisiac, as the ancient Aztecs believed, chocolate contains phenylethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. Hence, heartbreak and loneliness are great excuses for chocolate overindulgence. Chocolate can be lethal to dogs. Theobromine, an ingredient that stimulates the cardiac muscle and the central nervous system, causes chocolate's toxicity. About two ounces of milk chocolate can be poisonous for a 10-lb puppy. Consumers spend more than $7 billion a year on chocolate. Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the famous 45 second shower scene in Alfred. Chocolate has over 500 flavor components, more than twice the amount found in strawberry and vanilla. Once upon a time, money did grow on trees. Cocoa beans were used as currency by the Mayan and Aztec civilizations over 1400 years ago. When they had too much money to spend, they brewed the excess into hot chocolate drinks. The word "chocolate" comes from the Aztec word "xocolatl", which means "bitter water". Chocolate was originally only used as a beverage, and only served to men as chocolate contains PEA, which stimulates the same reaction in the body as falling in love. People in Denmark eat the most chocolate - about 30 pounds per person a year. Most women like to get chocolate instead of flowers on Valentine's Day - especially women over the age of 50. The melting point of cocoa butter is just below human body temperature - this is why chocolate melts in your mouth. Dental studies report that eating chocolate does not cause cavities. The first chocolate house was opened in London in 1657. Chocolate cost 10-15 shillings per pound and was considered a beverage for the elite class. If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly. REMEMBER: "Stressed"  spelled backward is "desserts". In soda fountain slang, a "bucket of mud" is a bowl of chocolate ice cream. Chocolate in a blue wrapper won't sell in Shanghai or Hong Kong because the Chinese associate blue with death. (Based on research and survey)