Ten things you might not know about chocolate

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Do you love chocolate? I do, too. Not only is it delicious, it’s an antioxidant and has reached gourmet status in foodie world.

Between sampling fresh chocolate right off the tree in Guadeloupe, and touring all things chocolate in Switzerland, I’ve learned a thing or two, so here are ten things you might not know about chocolate.

1) Good quality chocolate should not melt in your hand – the higher the cacao content the less melty it should be. So if you have any romantic ideas of covering your body with chocolate, best to use the cheap stuff.

2) Good quality should ‘snap’ when broken. It’s a very moody food.

3) Chocolate contains tryptophan which helps create serotonin, our body’s natural antidepressant. And it tastes way better than Prozac.

4) There are more antioxidents in dark chocolate than milk chocolate. Therefore dark chocolate reduces stress as you can eat it guilt free.

5) The shelf life of a chocolate bar is believed to be one year – only no one has been able to keep a bar long enough to prove it.

6) The ancient Mayans considered chocolate the food of the gods. And so do many women today.

7) Chocolate was so prized by the Aztecs it was used as a currency. You could literally eat your way through a fortune in one afternoon.

8) Dark chocolate is rich in flavanols that can improve circulation around the brain and make you feel alert. You may get fat, but you’ll be very aware of it.

9) Some believe that eating chocolate creates similar physiological effects to kissing. But it’s still more fun to kiss a person than a Mars Bar.

10) Napoleon provided chocolate for all his troops. No word on how he romanced Josephine.