CHOCOLATE IS GOOD FOR US IN EVERY WAY AND WE ALL KNOW IT

Chocolate was thought to have aphrodisiac qualities by the Aztecs, so when it was first introduced to Europe it was natural that people continued to associate it with love. The reasons for this are associated with the observed affects of chocolate on human behavior. Christopher Columbus brought some cocoa beans to show Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, but it was Spanish friars who introduced it to Europe more broadly. The first recorded bulk shipment to Europe for commercial purposes was in a shipment from Veracruz to Sevilla in 1585. It was still served as a beverage, but the Europeans added sugar and milk to counteract the natural bitterness and remove the chilli pepper, replacing it with another Mexican indigenous spice we call vanilla. Changes to the taste meant that by the 17th century it was a luxury item among the European nobility. At the end of the 18th century, the first form of solid chocolate was invented in Turin Italy. It is believed that the Englishman Joseph Fry made the first chocolate for eating in 1847, followed in 1849 by the Cadbury brothers.

Dark Chocolate contains large amounts of substances called Phenylethylamine and Seratonin, both of which (put simply), are mood lifting agents found naturally in the human brain. They are released into the nervous system by the brain when we are happy and when we are experiencing feelings of love, passion or lust. This causes rapid mood change, a rise in blood pressure and increasing heart rate, inducing those feelings of well being, bordering on the euphoria usually associated with being in love. Plus it can give a substantial energy boost, thus increasing stamina, so it's probably these effects which gave rise to chocolate's reputation as an aphrodisiac. Recent research suggests that women are more susceptible to the effects of Phenylethylamine and Seratonin than men, although Casanova is said to have consumed chocolate. Dark chocolate, but not milk chocolate eaten with milk is a potent antioxidant, reports Mauro Serafinin PhD of Italy’s National Institute for Food. The report says that antioxidants in the chocolate gobble up free radicals, which are destructive molecules that are implicated in heart disease and other ailments.

Roughly two-thirds of the world's cocoa is produced in West Africa, with close to half of the total sourced from Côte d'Ivoire. Like many food industry producers, individual cocoa farmers are at the mercy of volatile world markets. The price can vary between £500 ($945) and £3,000 ($5,672) per ton, in the space of just a few years. Love can get expensive but it’s acceptable because we all want to be in love.