Interesting facts you never knew about chocolate

If chocolate was a person, you might describe it as “young at heart.” Aside from being a culinary escape for almost everyone, it’s also constantly being manipulated and reinvented in interesting ways for a whole new chocolate experience. From cocoa bombs to face masks, chocolate is still finding unique avenues to integrate into our lives.

Given it’s innovative spirit, you might be forgiven for not remembering how old chocolate is. This confection has not just been around for centuries but millennia. That’s right: plural. In that time, it has amassed an interesting history, making its way through different cultures and traditions. Let’s look at some of the incredible facts about chocolate you didn’t know you needed to know.

Chocolate used to be currency.

You may think you love chocolate, but would you trade it for a bar of gold? The ancient Mayans would. In the 8th century C.E., there is evidence that the Mayans started using cacao beans as a form of currency to barter for essential goods. It’s popularity only increased from there, eventually becoming as commonplace as coins. 

Chocolate was considered a food of the gods.

For the Mayan and Aztec communities, chocolate was not just a food source. It had a higher calling. Considered a gift for humans from the gods, chocolate was often used in rituals for Ek Chauh, the Mayan patron god of cacao. Those who drank the popular cacao beverage were believed to have higher access to the spiritual world.

There are a lot of chocolate world records.

As we said before, there are a lot of ways to use chocolate, and some people are constantly pushing the envelope. In 2011, the largest chocolate bar was created in Derbyshire in the U.K. and weighed over 12,000 pounds. The most expensive piece of chocolate sold in 2019 by Attimo Chocolate Zurich, costing $670 for just 80 grams. Given that Switzerland is a prominent chocolate destination, it should also come as no surprise that Switzerland holds the record for highest per capita chocolate consumption.

The first chocolate chip cookie has a humble origin.

If you’re anything like me, when you play around with a recipe in the kitchen, it usually leads to a result that’s inedible at best. But that’s not the story of the world’s first chocolate chip cookie. Ruth Wakefield was a baker in Massachusetts in the 1930s when she tweaked her popular cookie recipe to include tiny chunks of chocolate. It’s often suggested that the recipe was a happy accident, but according to Wakefield, it was intentional. Wakefield eventually sold her cookie recipe to Nestle for a dollar, which she allegedly never received, and a lifetime supply of chocolate.

Chocolate triggers some addictive properties in the brain.

You’ve probably heard the term “chocoholic before,” reserved for someone who has an obsessive relationship with the sweet treat. And while the jury is still out on whether there is scientific evidence that chocolate is addictive, it certainly has a case.  Eating chocolate sparks a part of the brain that regulates someone’s cravings, along with reduced impulse control. That’s an intense combination. Despite the similarity in response to chocolate and other addictive substances, scientists are still studying just how serious the term “chocoholic” really is.

Those are just a few interesting facts about chocolate, and trust us that this list is far from comprehensive. Chocolate reaches almost every place on earth and is used in different ways: as comfort food or spiritual facilitator, mood booster or creative outlet. Just a little research will show you just how extensive the history of chocolate really is.