10 Interesting Facts About Chocolate. Is it Good for hair?
The Ancient Origins of Chocolate
For a long time chocolate was a sheer luxury in Europe that only the rich and the ruling class could afford. That changed with industrialization, which made chocolate affordable for everyone. A major role in this development played two innovative entrepreneurs from Dresden, Germany.
The History of Chocolate
In 1823, Jordan & Timaeus founded the first German “Chocolate and Chicorium Factory” setting the path for the later famed Dresden confectionery and luxury foods industry. In the 1900 Dresden was the most important location for chocolate production in the whole country and in no other city were so many powerful producers of chocolate confectionery present. Germany itself was the world´s leader of cocoa processing countries at that time, with a total volume of 19.242 tons of cocoa beans per year.
In 2011, a study conducted by scientists of the Dresden Association WIMAD and Dresden’s University of Technology confirmed the fact that the first milk chocolate was produced in our beautiful city, Dresden, by Jordan & Timaeus in 1839, who used donkey milk at that time for the production. The Swiss were always considered to be the inventors, however, the first milk chocolate was only produced by them in 1875.
10 Facts About Chocolate
Chocolate is probably the world’s most favourite food. We all love it and eat it probably several times a week, if not daily. We came across quite a few interesting facts, which we wanted to share with you.
- The name chocolate comes from the Aztec word xocalati meaning bitter water.
- The cocoa tree has its origin in Mexico.
- The Aztecs and Mayans used Cacao Beans as currency during the time of the Spanish conquest. The Cacao Bean currency ranked above gold dust as the principal form of money.
- Nowadays Cote d’lvoire is the single largest producer of cocoa, providing roughly 40% of the world’s supply.
- One cacao pod contains about 42 beans. Two pods are needed to produce one bar of chocolate.
- The cacao bean naturally contains almost 300 different flavors and 400 separate aromas.
- The majority of modern chocolate products is made from a type of cacao called Forastero. However, before the 1800s, cacao was sourced from a type of bean called Criollo. Even though Forastero does not taste as good as Criollo, it is easier to grow and therefore more suitable for mass production.
- Only 5 % of the world’s cocoa harvest is Criollo. The Criollo variety produces the highest quality cocoa and is considered a delicacy. We are happy to have a Criollo chocolate collection in store. All ADORATIO products are made with Criollo cocoa.
- Many chocolate products only contain a very small percentage of actual cocoa. Dark chocolate has been shown to be beneficial to human health and as a result it is suggested to consume chocolate with a cocoa content of 70% or higher.
- The Germans buy on average 12.1 kg of chocolate per person per year. We can definitely confirm that. We do love chocolate.