You know it, I know it and the whole world can’t be wrong.
Chocolate is derived from cocoa beans and were first brought to Europe by the Spanish Conquistadors in 1528. It was Cacao originally, but became Cocoa as a result of misspelling.
Emperor Montezuma of Mexico partook a Chocolate drink before entering his harem, giving rise to the notion of Chocolate having aphrodisiac properties. The Italian adventurer Giacomo Casanova also subscribed to this notion. There is some truth to the idea, since Chocolate contains hundreds of chemicals including the feel-good stimulants - Caffeine, Theobromine, and Phenyethylamine.
Chocolate is a wonderful energy source. Napoleon supposedly carried along Chocolate on his military campaigns, and always ate it to restore energy. Nowadays Sports-persons are often given Chocolate energy bars after sporting activities to restore carbohydrates. Even though Chocolate is high in fat, it does not appear to raise blood cholesterol.
However the amount of Caffeine in Chocolate is very little - about 5 to 10 milligrams of caffeine in one ounce of bitter sweet chocolate, 5 milligrams in milk chocolate, and 10 milligrams in a six-ounce cup of cocoa. Compare this to 100-150 milligrams found in a cup of coffee.
Allergies to chocolate are very uncommon.
Cocoa butter, which is the fat extract which is used as a massage cream.
Warning: Theobromine, however, is highly toxic to dogs, cats, and other household pets. It overstimulates their cardiac and nervous systems, and can cause instant death.
