4 Things You Didn’t Know About Chocolate

Chocolate is a wonderful thing.  It is projected that chocolate lovers all over the world will spend even more – as much as $12.9 billion by 2011. Most people are happy with just eating it, but I found some things that might just make you raise your brow.

White Chocolate is Not Really Chocolate

Ok, I know ‘chocolate’ is in the name, but trust me it’s not really chocolate. Technically, for something to be considered a chocolate, it has to contain a certain amount of cocoa. White chocolate is actually a mix of a minimum of 20% cocoa butter, 3.5% milk fat, 14% milk solids and less than 55% sugar as stated by the FDA. No cocoa. at. all.

And the white color – it’s from the lack of a chemical called theobromine.

Chocolate Can Put Your Dog in an Eternal Slumber

That’s crazy… I mean they can survive after drinking from a porcelain throne filled with potentially harmful bacteria – how can they be poisoned by such an innocuous treat enjoyed by their human counterparts?

I remember almost accidentally ‘rewarding’ my friend’s dog for something, probably for just being cute, but the next thing I know, I am almost tackled to the ground. I thought he was crazy.

Remember our friend theobromine?  While it gives chocolate its nice brown color, it’s also the naturally occurring chemical in chocolate which causes a toxic reaction in our canine companion. Aside from white chocolate, each type of chocolate, whether it’s milk chocolate, semi-sweet or the like, has different amounts of this chemical. And just like arsenic for humans, there’s no real cure so the best bet is to get it out the way it went down ASAP.

America is Not the Biggest Consumer of Chocolate

Well, we can’t be number one at everything (j/k).  On average, Americans eat up to 11 pounds of chocolate per year.  To put that into perspective, that’s roughly the size of two bowling balls.

It may come as no surprise, then, that the chocolate capital of the world (or the place best known for its chocolate), Switzerland, takes the prize for eating the most chocolate in the world at twice the amount – 22 lbs! Four bowling balls!

I know what you’re thinking… But, this is how the Swiss get their chocolate – they’re not for the dogs

Aztecs Drank Cocoa That Would Make Your Mouth Pucker.

We’re all familiar with the traditional form of hot cocoa or hot chocolate that’s usually enjoyed on a cold winter night. That’s not the chocolate I’m talking about. The hot chocolate we’re used to is loaded with sugar and it is done so it does not offend our delicate palates. We’re such pansies nowadays.

This wasn’t so for the hardcore Aztecs from several millennia back. They would enjoy this hot, spicy and bitter beverage all the time. I would think it would be something like drinking a hot and spicy cup of lemon juice. Delicious.

That’s the Aztec emperor drinking 50 solid gold chalices of this hot chocolate. Every.  Single. Day.

Looks like I have a lot of chocolate to drink in my near future

If you think those chocolate facts were interesting, there’s more chocolate-y fact goodness here