Hawaiian Chocolates

There really is a lot that you should know about chocolate.  Here are some of the lesser-known fact:

1. Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, which medical studies have proven are beneficial to your health because they contain antioxidants.  (Antioxidants are a substance that is capable of counteracting the damaging effects that occur whenever your body’s blood combines with oxygen.)

2. The United States is the world’s largest chocolate manufacturer.  Many people will tell you that the best chocolate in the United States is that which is made in Hawaii.

3. Chocolate melts whenever it reaches a temperature of 97 degrees Fahrenheit.  This is interesting to take note of because a person’s normal body temperature is also 97 degrees Fahrenheit, so it is no wonder that chocolate actually melts in your mouth.

4. Not all types of chocolate contain flavanoids because during the various processes of making chocolate the flavanoids inadvertently get destroyed.  This even happens with dark chocolate.  However, you should know that dark chocolate does retain more flavanoids than other types of chocolate, such as milk chocolate.

5. The movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory will forevermore be associated with chocolate.  This classic movie was created in 1971.  It is based upon the book that was written in 1964.  The name of this book was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

6. People in Switzerland consume around 22 pounds of chocolate per year.  This makes them the world leader whenever it comes to chocolate consumption per capita.  America is not too far behind though as they eat approximately 10 pounds of chocolate per person, per year.  While this is far less than what is eaten in some European countries, the large population in the United States makes America one of the leaders whenever it comes to world chocolate consumption.

7. Criollo is the oldest strain of cultivated cacao and it is also the bean with the lowest astringency.