Chocolate was then consumed as a drink

There's nothing more romantic than chocolate—says American author and television personality Ted Allen. A writer named Miranda Ingram is another Kathi Sarees. He said, 'Don't think that chocolate is a substitute for love. Instead, love is an alternative to chocolate. Even chocolate is more reliable than a man.'

But the words are not Felna. The lover's cheeks are swollen with pride. Give a handful of chocolate, you will see a smile on your face. Chocolate is like nectar for children. In fact, this food product is very popular among men and women, young and old.

This popularity is not today. The history of chocolate is very old, two and a half thousand years old. Since then it has been appreciated by people. It originated from the ancient Olmec (1200-400 BC) and Maya civilizations (250 BC-1697 AD). The first chocolate was made from the seeds of the cocoa tree in the Amazon jungle. Back then, of course, chocolate was liquid. It was drunk as a drink. In the ancient Aztec civilization (1300–1521 AD), chocolate was traditionally considered a gift or food from the gods. Perhaps this is why the father of taxonomy, Carolus Linnaeus, named chocolate 'Theobroma cacao', meaning 'food of the gods'. Even at that time, the Aztecs used cocoa beans as their currency and medium of exchange.

Today is October 28, Chocolate Day. The day is celebrated in the United States. However, July 7 is celebrated as World Chocolate Day. Again, International Chocolate Day is September 13. Meanwhile, the week before Valentine's Day is also celebrated as Chocolate Day.

how come chocolate

Paired with chocolates as food. This food product, which is popular all over the world, originated about four thousand years ago. Many researchers claim that the first chocolate appeared in Mexico. But that chocolate was not as delicious as it is now. It was then consumed as a drink. The taste was bitter.

The main ingredient in making chocolate is a seed. Ancient Meso-Americans discovered cacao seeds in the forests of Central America around 1900 BC. The people of that time made a bitter-tasting drink by heating these seeds and mixing them with water, honey, and chili powder.

A group of Spanish explorers, including Hernán Cortés, visited Mexico in the 1500s. They get a lot of chocolate seeds in that country if they don't get anything else. Later, the Spanish mixed this bitter-tasting drink with sugarcane juice and sweeteners to make delicious sweet chocolate. The Spanish kept the secret of making this chocolate to themselves for almost 100 years.

But that rumor was exposed in 1615. Originally, everyone knew the secret of chocolate making only after the French king Louis XIII married a Spanish princess. Because the Spanish princess was very fond of chocolate. He could not eat chocolate even if he left Spain. Since then, chocolate has become a very popular food in the royal courts of various European countries.

Until 1828, the consumption of chocolate was restricted to the royal court. That year Dutch chemist Konrad Johannes von Houten invented a device called the cocoa press. This machine revolutionized chocolate making. In 1847, the British firm JS Fry and Sons was the first to produce solid bar-shaped chocolate using sugar; Which we still see today.

Is Chocolate good or bad?

Who doesn't love chocolate? This is the million-dollar question. It is hard to track dislike of chocolate. down an individual. Various types of chocolates are most exchanged as gifts or as rewards during festivals, between lovers.

However, whether chocolate is good or bad for health is still not fully settled. Scientists and researchers sometimes say chocolate is good, and sometimes its benefits are not much. But the verdict is more in favor of chocolate.

Recent studies on chocolate have shown that it normalizes high blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease. Apart from this, chocolate keeps blood sugar levels normal and reduces stress.

Cocoa is the main ingredient in making chocolate. Research has revealed the strange qualities of this cocoa. Chocolate powder was used as a running aid in the ancient Maya civilization. It could be played or run more! In the last decade of the present century, it has been known that the chemicals in chocolate play a very beneficial role in curing diarrhea.

"Chocolate is a very good anti-oxidant," said Wais Khawaja, a researcher in the cardiology department of St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center in Ohio, USA. It works well in reducing inflammatory diseases in the body. We think its benefits are more due to its antioxidant properties. Eating chocolate reduces the risk of cancer and memory loss.

However, not all chocolates have the same qualities. It is hard to track dislike of chocolate. down an individual. Flavonoids, a nutrient found in cocoa beans, turn chocolate into anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Dark chocolate contains more of these qualities, while milk or white chocolate contains less.

Now the question is, what is dark chocolate? Chocolates that contain 70 percent cocoa are called dark chocolates. How much cocoa is in a bar of chocolate depends mainly on the manufacturing process. The higher the cocoa content in chocolate, the more healthful it will be.

Are the chocolates we buy in the market pure? Experts say no. Wais Khawaja said, 'Commercially produced chocolate contains milk and sugar. They are not good for health. They are not very nutritious. But Wais Khawaja also said that there has been less comparative research on the quality of different types of chocolate. So although dark chocolate is beneficial for health, it is not certain how much it is beneficial. Experts advise it is better not to eat dark chocolate more than twice a day.

Let's find out about various facts known about chocolate since ancient times -

500 BC: At this time, chocolate was considered the 'food of God'. The word cocoa comes from kakawa. It means God's food. The name was given by the Olmec people who lived in Central America from 1500 to 500 BC. Maya people drank chocolate as a drink. At that time it was only the food of the rich. However, since Europeans discovered the Mayan civilization, chocolate became a food for everyone, regardless of race and religion.

16th century AD: Chocolate was considered a 'heavenly and soothing drink' in Central Mexico at this time. At that time there was a saying, if you drink a cup of chocolate drink, a person can walk all day without eating anything else!

Nineteenth-century: This century saw the first recognition of the medicinal properties of chocolate. A French pharmacist named Jean-Antoine Brutus was the first to set up a chocolate-mixed medicine factory. However, it did not last. In the end, the multinational company Nestlé bought the factory. It was in this century that the recipe for making milk chocolate was discovered.

20th Century: This century saw an increase in both production and popularity of chocolate. In addition to research on the benefits or harms of chocolate, research on chocolate addiction also began at this time. In 1998, a survey of about three and a half hundred people in the UK showed that chocolate is becoming more popular with consumers than pizza or burgers. This survey also revealed that people eat more chocolate when they are depressed or under stress.

21st Century: In the past 17 years, much-advanced research has been done on chocolate. A 2002 study found that an antioxidant substance called catechins in chocolate plays a role in preventing cancer. And dark chocolate keeps diabetes at bay. This information was found in a 2005 study of some adults. A 2006 study found that the antioxidants in chocolate also play a role in improving brain performance. Apart from this, chocolate is also beneficial for the heart and skin.

There was a lot of talk. Don't think about it anymore, take a bite of chocolate!