We all love chocolate, most of us probably eat it every day, or at least several times a week. It is one of the most beloved food products in the world and many would say that they cannot live without it. Most of us probably feel we know chocolate pretty well by now, as it is a regular part of our lives. However, there are many fascinating facts about the world of chocolate that most do not know. Below are ten interesting facts about chocolate, some of these facts are bizarre, some are saddening and others are just downright silly.

Fact: Chocolate farmers are basically slaves.

As we mentioned, many of us enjoy chocolate every day. Unfortunately, we are about to make you feel really guilty about it. Have you ever wondered where your chocolate comes from? Most of it comes from the labor of children, it is believed that in Africa alone, somewhere in the range of 56–72 million children work on chocolate farms. These children are often tricked into working or sold into slavery outright and end up living out their lives working on these farms for the profit of others. The children who have it better live on bananas and corn paste. The unlucky ones are regularly flogged like animals.

One child interviewed said that he was tricked into believing he would be earning money to help his family, but that the closest he gets to compensation are the days he is not beaten with a bicycle chain or the branch from a Cacao tree. The child has never even had occasion to try the food he spends his life slaving away to produce. Some would suggest that we buy Fair Trade, the problem is that Fair Trade does little if anything to help.

Fact: Many chocolate confections only contain a very small percentage of actual chocolate.

According to Hershey there is no standard in the United States for Dark Chocolate, however, there are standards for Milk Chocolate and Semisweet chocolate. In some countries the standards are different. The UK is said to have slightly higher chocolate contents in most of their confections. In the USA, however, Milk Chocolate only has to contain about ten percent chocolate liquor, whereas Semisweet chocolate has to contain at least thirty-five percent chocolate liquor. Milk chocolate, which has slightly different rules, must contain at least twenty percent Cocoa Butter.

Fact: Milk chocolate is a fairly recent invention.

Dark chocolate has gained popularity in recent years; however, it is still not nearly as popular as the milk variety. We are often exposed to semisweet chocolate when baking delicious cookies, but milk chocolate is still by far the most popular. The interesting thing about it is that milk chocolate wasn’t even invented until 1875. The first European invention in regards to chocolate involved removing about half of the Cocoa Butter, then crushing what remained and mixing it with salts to mitigate the bitter taste, this was known as Dutch Cocoa. Milk chocolate was discovered by taking this powder and mixing it with sweetened condensed milk, which had recently been invented by a man named Nestle. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Fact: The Aztecs and Maya’s used chocolate as currency.

The history of chocolate pretty much begins with the Mayans. Cacao beans were so valuable to them that they were used as currency. It is said that ten beans could buy a rabbit, or even a prostitute. And one hundred beans were enough to buy a slave, though slavery in those days was a much different institution in many ways. When the Aztecs came along they adopted these traditions and continued using cacao beans as currency. People would buy everything from livestock, to food and tools with the beans and some people actually created counterfeit beans using clay. Generally only the richer people drank chocolate regularly though, because drinking your money is expensive.

Fact: Chocolate is high in antioxidants and is actually really good for you.

Recent research has shown that chocolate contains flavonoids. The particular flavonoids contained in chocolate are called flavonols and procyanidins, which are good for your heart and assist in preventing the onset of cancer. However, it is important to note that the higher the chocolate content the better it is for you, some studies have shown that only dark chocolate really give you a significant boost in antioxidants in moderate doses. Researchers found that dark chocolate was great for reducing blood pressure, but that washing it down with milk, even if you didn’t eat milk chocolate, would mess with the beneficial effects.

Fact: Chocolate doesn’t just contain caffeine but also a lesser known drug called Theobromine.

Chocolate contains a higher portion of Theobromine than anything in nature. Theobromine is similar to Caffeine, but it has a milder stimulant effect. Some preliminary research has shown that it may also be helpful for suppressing coughs. While Theobromine has long been used to treat issues such as blood pressure, and is being tested for its use in fighting cancer, you can have too much of a good thing. At high levels Theobromine can cause poisoning, though animals and the elderly are more susceptible to this. A healthy person would have to eat a lot of chocolate before they would be in any danger.

Fact: The Aztec rulers drank tens of cups of hot chocolate a day.

The opulent Aztec rulers and higher class drank a ton of hot chocolate; Montezuma himself was reported to have drunk about fifty cups of chocolate a day. While a normal cup of chocolate wouldn’t contain too much caffeine, the chocolate the Aztecs drank was extremely dark, combine that with the sheer intake and he must have been incredibly wired. What is truly fascinating though is that they did not drink hot chocolate, they drank it cold. They did not drink it with sugar, and it was actually the Spaniards who first added sugar to the drink. The Aztecs would pour the mixture back and forth from pitchers until it got really foamy and believed the foam was the best part.

Fact: The chocolate manufacturing companies tried to get approval to call a substitute real chocolate.

A few years ago in a move that had chocolate lovers up in arms, the American chocolate manufacturers tried to petition for approval from the FDA to replace cocoa butter with Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil and call it chocolate. This sort of move is something you would expect to see in a bad move, but a spokeswoman from Nestle actually tried to claim that it was okay because consumers didn’t really know what they wanted and didn’t understand things like “manufacturing efficiencies” and “technical improvements”. While the FDA chose not to agree to the demands of the chocolate industry, it is incredible that they even entertained the petition at all.

Fact: The world is facing a serious chocolate shortage.

The world is facing a chocolate shortage due to serious diseases that are affecting trees in Latin America where much of the worlds cacao is produced. Not only that but the demand for chocolate is increasing all the time, which makes keeping enough supply to satisfy people extremely difficult. Luckily, the diseases that are affecting chocolate production have not spread to Africa. However, these shortages still could lead to eventual price increases if the farmers are unable to get the diseases under control. While Africa has not had diseases, they have dealt with some droughts recently, which made matters even worse.

Fact: The biggest chocolate bar ever created weighed almost six tons.

In September, 2011, a chocolate bar was created that weighed close to twelve thousand pounds. The bar required roughly seventeen hundred pounds of cocoa butter and about fourteen hundred pounds of chocolate liquor. The bar is supposed to tour around the country in an effort to get kids to “think big” and “eat smart”. We aren’t sure exactly how a gigantic confection will help kids eat smart. More recently in England, the record was broken with an even bigger chocolate bar. The bar took more than fifty people to make and was inspired by the story of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Fortunately, all of that chocolate is not going to go to waste. This particular bar is slated to be broken up into pieces and sold, with the proceeds all going to charity.

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In one form or another, chocolate has been with mankind for centuries. The delectable snack has an unusual European history. First viewed with suspicion, chocolate became medicine and finally turned thousands into chocoholics.

This popularity hides the industry’s nasty side. A chocolate coating is a smuggler’s best friend, and companies sell dangerous products. In Japan, female workers are forced to hand out chocolates or face the consequences in their professional lives.

10 Chocolate’s Aroma Compounds

Chocolate’s butter, which essentially is fat, is loaded with 600 aroma molecules. Oddly, some smell nothing like the glorious treat. In fact, the aromas of several molecules are more like potato chips, cooked meat, and peaches.

When scientists studied the 600 chemicals, they discovered that chocolate makers only need 25 to create a delectable cocoa scent. This is important because the flavor people taste comes from their sense of smell. Once you pop a chocolate into your mouth, the butter melts and the molecules disperse within the oral and nasal passages.

Two things make it so tasty—the high-fat content and the slow release of the compounds. For this reason, those seeking to fully enjoy chocolate must savor it. When eaten too quickly, the chemicals fail to do their thing and a lot of the flavor is lost.^[1]

9 The Surprising Power Of Packaging

In 2019, a study required chocolate testers. A stampede of 75 people volunteered. They ate chocolates without seeing any wrappers. Then they looked at wrappers without doing any tasting. Finally, they enjoyed the treats with their packaging nearby. The last part came with six commercial themes: fun, bold, everyday, healthy, special, and premium.

With each package, the participants had to describe the feelings the product evoked as well as score the taste and the likelihood of buying it in the future. There was no difference among the chocolates themselves. However, the packaging had a surprising influence on the ratings.

Flavor scores dropped when the wrapping was absent or disappointing. The chocolate tasted better when the packaging was visible, carried positive words, or had extra bling. As it turned out, fancy wrappings created the strongest attraction and led to a higher chance that the volunteers would purchase it.

Although the taste was a big factor, the product’s looks were surprisingly powerful. The tasty experiment backed up other studies that found packaging was the deciding factor in nearly 60 percent of consumers’ decisions to buy or ignore a product.^[2]

8 Origins Of The Mocha Frappuccino

Bread lore credits the invention of the sandwich to John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich. When researchers dug around his family tree, they found that his great-great-grandfather could have sipped on the first mocha frappuccino.

In 2013, a 350-year-old recipe was found and the author was Sir Edward Montagu. He was an avid chocoholic during a time when England viewed the newly introduced concept of chocolate with suspicion.

When chocolate was first advertised in the 1600s, the public feared that the substance could cause problems like hemorrhoids and organ damage. The latter was blamed on iced chocolate concoctions.

Sir Edward liked his concoctions. His recipe called for the chocolate to be mixed with snow and salt, shaken in a flask until curdled, and then consumed with a spoon. It produced a drink similar to the iced chocolate made in coffee shops today.^[3]

The earl believed the warnings. But he practiced what he thought was a countermeasure for the organ damage—to drink hot chocolate 15 minutes after the frozen snack.

7 Hot Chocolate’s Tastiest Colors

In the past, scientists discovered a curious fact about taste. Flavor in food is often affected by its price, verbal description, and the color of the plate.

In 2013, a study searched for any colors that might enhance hot chocolate’s flavor. The researchers gathered 57 volunteers and fed them cups of hot chocolate. All cups were white on the inside. But on the outside, they were either red, orange, white, or cream.

After every serving, the participants had to rate how much they enjoyed the drink. Nearly everyone agreed that the hot chocolate tasted better when drunk from a cream or orange cup.

This was a little mysterious. Volunteers were given an identical beverage to ensure that the hot chocolate itself remained constant. Nobody said that the drink was any sweeter or more aromatic. But for some reason, sipping from an orange or cream cup was just more flavorful.^[4]

6 The Nobel Link

Chocolate consumption has several benefits. According to research, fans can look forward to glorious mouthfuls as well as a healthier heart, mind, and blood pressure. But an increased chance of winning the Nobel Prize?

In 2012, Dr. Franz Messerli published his study in The New England Journal of Medicine. Strangely, it claimed that hoovering up cocoa might boost the likelihood of winning the prestigious award. However, an individual person would not evolve into a genius after a single (or 50) chocolate bars.

Messerli looked at the big picture. He compared different countries, counting how much chocolate each consumed and how many Nobel laureates and winners they produced. Apparently, the higher the munchies, the more genius there was.

If you think it sounds ridiculous, you are in good company—Messerli agreed that the whole thing was ridiculous. Although his data was sound, it did not mean that his “link” between chocolate and Nobel Prizes was a real thing. He published it as real anyway to make a point about how connections made by science are not always correct.^[5]

5 Chocolate Syrup Was A Medicine

Any self-respecting sundae has syrup. Chances are excellent that patrons would choose chocolate syrup. It may be hard to imagine, but this sticky form of heaven did not start out as a treat.

The first customers were pharmacists in the 1800s. They purchased bitter cocoa powder from a company that remains known today—Hershey’s—and mixed the powder with large doses of sugar to make a thick syrup.

Chocolate was already a treatment for those suffering from wasting disease, but the syrup had another purpose. Remember, this was the 1800s. All remedies tasted like the inside of a shoe. When mixed with the syrup, difficult patients like kids readily accepted gross-tasting medicines.^[6]

The syrup’s transition from the drug store to the kitchen hinged on the poverty of pharmacists. The industry was not yet profitable, and many sold snacks on the side, including sodas and ice cream. It did not take long for somebody to add chocolate syrup to these.

4 Chocolate-Coated Ivory

The ivory trade was banned in 1989, but the black market for elephant tusks never died. Based on the amount of confiscated ivory, around 50,000 elephants were poached in 2011.

Smugglers do bizarre things to move their loot across borders. In 2013, officials in Macau checked the luggage of two South Africans. They became suspicious when they found 583 chocolate bars. What raised the real red flag, however, was the weight of the treats. The stash weighed 34 kilograms (75 lb).^[7]

The wrappers were removed, and the candy was dipped in warm water. The chocolate coating melted away and revealed ivory with a worth of more than $76,000. Disguising ivory as chocolate is creative, but this was not the first time. The previous year, over 90 ivory seals were found wrapped in chocolate packaging. They were destined for Taiwan from South Africa.

3 Giri Choco

On Valentine’s Day, lovers present their sweethearts with chocolates. In Japan, things are different and it is getting on people’s nerves. Female nerves. There is a tradition called giri choco (“obligation chocolates”). Women are expected to give male coworkers the sweet treats on Valentine’s Day.

A woman must spend thousands of yen, struggle with what is appropriate, choose to whom to give the chocolates, and face possible backlash from those who did not receive any. Needless to say, this can lead to abusive situations in the workplace like harassment and unfair treatment. Several companies have now banned the practice.

During a 2019 survey, 60 percent of women said they would rather eat the chocolates themselves, over 56 percent said they would spoil family on Valentine’s Day with chocolates, and 36 percent planned to give some chocolates to men—but voluntarily and because it was either a romantic partner or a crush.

It seems that giri choco is not going to be around much longer. Only 35 percent of the women in the survey said they planned to hand out chocolates to male coworkers.^[8]

2 Snortable Chocolate

Novelty remains an excellent sales tactic. However, when a company started selling chocolate that customers could inhale, health experts became alarmed. In 2017, Legal Lean introduced the product in the United States. Called Coco Loko, it was a container with 10 “snorts” that cost around $24.99. The powder was advertised as a drug-free way to feel euphoric.

But its claims of instant energy and motivation did not win fans among medical specialists. Doctors felt that nothing—chocolate included—should be snorted without a very good reason.

Coco Loko’s potential to harm consumers has never been studied. As a powder consisting of raw cacao and energy drink ingredients like taurine and guarana, it could create problems inside the nose and lungs. The Food and Drug Administration never authenticated the product’s claims, either.

At least the company was honest about its products. On its website, a warning stated that Legal Lean products could hamper the “ability to drive a car or operate machinery” and “may cause health problems.”^[9]

1 Nestle’s Child Labor

The chocolate giant Nestle has a big demon. For years, accusations of child labor dogged the company. One case involved kidnap victims who described how guards cut open the feet of any child who tried to escape the cocoa farms.

Facing pressure, the company commissioned the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to do annual audits in Ivory Coast, which remains the biggest supplier of cocoa in the world. In 2014, the FLA visited 260 farms supplying Nestle. The picture was not rosy.

There were 56 children under age 18, of which 27 were below 15 years old. Around 24 kids received no education because they had to work alongside their adult families. At least one child was forced to work with no pay.^[10]

While the FLA ruled that Nestle had made a substantial effort to rectify the situation, it persisted because the farmers failed to implement the company’s ban on child labor. Human rights lawyers were less kind. They insist that Nestle cannot solve the complex problem—or does not want to—and that an independent authority must regulate the industry.