The Cacao tree was christened Theo broma cacao by the great Swedish botanist Linnaeus. This translates from the Greek as 'the food of the gods'.

Did you know that the traditional Aztec chocolate drink contained not only chocolate and water but also chilli, saffron, cinnamon, dried ginger and vanilla? Sugar and milk were not added, so this would have been a very different chocolate experience to the one most of us know today.

1615 Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III of Spain, marries the infant Louis XIII of France and takes him Spanish chocolate as a gift. She is accompanied by a maid whose sole purpose is to make her chocolate every day. Chocolate soon becomes fashionable in the French court.

Chocolate connoisseurs believe that the best chocolates contain a blend of four or more different beans, each from a different country: Venezuela, Brazil, Madagascar and the Ivory Coast.

Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753), the physician of Queen Anne of England, was reportedly the first person to mix chocolate successfully with milk. The resulting drink was used for restorative purposes.

Chocolate bars were made possible by the invention of the cocoa press in the eighteenth century. By the middle of the nineteenth century, both Fry and Son and the Cadbury company were selling 'tablets' (blocks) of chocolate to the English public.

An old French tradition advises Parisians to dine on chocolate fish while awaiting April Fool's Day.

Chocolate Trivia :

The 'blood' draining out of the shower in the famous shower scene of Alfred Hitchcock's film Psycho was actually chocolate syrup.

On June 29 1995, chocolate was one of the gifts exchanged between Russian cosmonauts and American astronauts aboard the Russian space station Mir.

Three billion (nearly 1.5 billion kilograms) of chocolate are consumed worldwide each year.

Chocolate-lovers are in good company. Napolean carried chocolate with him on military escapades, eating it when he needed energy quickly

Most of us associate chocolate with romance, with good reason. When chocolate first became popular in Europe several centuries ago it was thought to invigorate men and women less inhibited, thus making it the ideal gift to bestow upon your sweetheart.

Diamonds aren't a girl's best friend… Chocolate is!

Inventions :

1842 Cadbury's chocolate company creates the first chocolate bar, made possible by the invention of the cocoa press in the eighteenth century.

1875 Daniel Peters, a Swiss chocolate maker mixes Henri Nestle's condensed milk with chocolate, and the two men produce the first milk chocolate.

1894 Milton Hershey invents the Hershey Bar by experimenting with milk chocolate.

1897 Cadbury begins to manufacture milk chocolate in competition with the Swiss.

1905 Cadbury's Dairy Milk Bar is introduced.

1908 Toblerone is invented by the Swiss Theodor Tobler. Each piece of the new chocolate bar is made in the triangular shape of an Alpine peak.

1930 Franklin Mars invents the Snickers bar. Fry's invents the Crunchie.

1933 The chocolate chip cookie was discovered by accident. American Ruth Wakefield was hastily preparing a batch of chocolate biscuits, she neglected to melt the chocolate first and instead used whole lumps of chocolate, thinking they would melt during baking… However, the lumps of chocolate stayed lumpy. No one complained about the results, and the chocolate chip cookie was born.

1935 The Aero bar makes its first appearance.

1936 Maltesers and Quality Street are introduced.

1937 Kit Kat, Rolo and Smarties are all invented in this year.

1940 The Mars company invents M&Ms for soldiers going to World War II.

Chocolate Expressions…

Chocolate is…. Lucious, decadent, divine, seductive, heavenly Chocolate is… velvety, dark, rewarding, delicate, exciting Chocolate… Makes the world go round! Chocolate is… smooth, tempting, tantalizing, mouth-watering, delicious Chocolate is… sexy, vital, sinful, addictive, naughty Chocolate is… faithful, sweet, silky-smooth, irresistible, unforgettable Chocolate is… mesmerising, warm, silky, comforting, bittersweet Chocolate is… essential, rich, sensuous delectable, creamy Chocolate is… indulgent, alluring, fragrant, sacred, luxurious Chocolate is… sticky, sublime, aromatic, fulfilling, enticing

Famous Sayings About Chocolate :

'Chocolate makes otherwise normal people melt into strange states of ecstacy'. John West

'Nine out of ten people like chocolate… 'The tenth person always lies'. John G.Tullius, American artist and cartoonist

'Chocolate is heavenly, mellow, sensual, deep. Dark, sumptuous, gratifying, potent, dense, creamy, seductive, suggestive, rich, excessive, silky, smooth, luxurious, celestial… 'Chocolate is downfall, happiness, pleasure, love, ecstasy, fantasy… chocolate makes us wicked, guilty, sinful, healthy, chic, happy'. Elaine Sherman, American writer

'Chocolate, of course, is the stuff of which fantasies are made. Rich, dark, velvety-smooth fantasies that envelop the senses and stir the passions. Chocolate is madness; chocolate is delight'. Judith Olney, American chef

'Life without chocolate… 'is life lacking something important'. Marcia Colman and Frederic Morton, American writers

'Chocolate is not only a pleasant of taste, but it is also a veritable balm of the mouth, for the maintaining of all glands and humours in a good state of health. Thus it is, that all who drink/eat it, possess a sweet breath'. Stephani Blancardi (1650-1702) Italian physician

'Other things are just food. But chocolate's chocolate'. Partick Skene Catling, American writer

'What use are cartridges in battle? 'I always carry chocolate instead'. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Irish playwright, from Arms and the Man

'It's not that chocolates are a substitute for love… 'Love is a substitute for chocolate'. Miranda Ingram

'If I were a headmaster, I would get rid of the history teacher and get a chocolate teacher instead and my pupils would study a subject that affected all of them'. Roald Dahl, British writer

'Good chocolate won't make you sick. It won't even make you fat. Look at me, and I eat it all day long'. Robert Linxie, French chocolatier

Great News For Chocoholics :

Chocolate stimulates the release of endorphins in the body. Endorphins generate feelings of euphoria and block pain and are usually produced during strenuous physical exercise.

Chocolate contains easily digested carbohydrates and is a high-energy food. It's often recommended for bushwalkers and high-performance sportsman and women and, of course, for anyone else who needs a boost.

Chocolate can actually prevent tooth cavaties. While the sugar contained in chocolate is a major contributing cause of tooth decay, chocolate itself is made up of elements that obstruct the formation of plaque. So chocolate effectively neutralises any cavity-causing potential in the sugar!

Chocolate-lovers have long believed in the health-giving effects of chocolate, and now the experts agree: chocolate contains high levels of phenol, a chemical that can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, or PEA. PEA is a chemical also found in the brain and is responsible for raising blood pressure and increasing heart rate; it is released when feelings of lust or passion are present. Chocolates induce a 'high' equivalent to a sexual climax. No wonder chocolate makes you feel like you're in love!

Researchers at the Harvard University's school for Public Health, have found that chocolates may actually prolong your life by as much as a year. Researchers don't know why chocolates and candy do this. Harvard scientists claimed in the British Medical Journal that regardless of how voracious their appetite for chocolates and candy, the students indulging themselves in 'sweet dreams' live longer than those who abstain. One reason for this longevity, they feel, might be the presence of anti-oxidants in the chocolate. Helga Rubinstein in her classic book The Chocolate Story, reveals how the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortez brought chocolate for the West from the court of the Aztec King Montezuma in the 16th century where it was considered an aphrodisiac and an elixir of youth.