20 Things You Never Knew About Chocolate

1. THERE ARE MULTIPLE CELEBRATIONS OF CHOCOLATE EACH YEAR.

Holiday makers are constantly on the hunt for a reason to munch on chocolate, so the calendar offers plenty of excuses to buy a bar. July 7 is also Chocolate Day, a nod to the historical tradition that the day marks when chocolate was first brought to Europe on July 7, 1550, though a number of sources argue that it might have hit the continent’s shores as far back as 1504, thanks to Christopher Columbus. Official day or not, we do know that chocolate first arrived in Europe some time in the 16th century. There's also National Milk Chocolate Day on July 28, International Chocolate Day on September 13, and, of course, National Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day on November 7.

2. CHOCOLATE IS ACTUALLY A VEGETABLE—KIND OF.

Milk and dark chocolate come from the cacao bean, which grows on the cacao tree (theobroma cacao), an evergreen from the family Malvaceae (other members of the family include okra and cotton). This makes the most important part of the sweet treat a vegetable.

3. WHITE CHOCOLATE IS NOT CHOCOLATE.

Because it doesn't contain cocoa solids or chocolate liquor, white chocolate isn't chocolate in the strict sense. But it does contain parts of the cacao bean—mainly cocoa butter.

4. THE CACAO BEAN IS NATIVE TO MEXICO AND BOTH CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA.

It’s believed that inhabitants of these areas first started cultivating the bean as far back as 1250 BCE, and perhaps even earlier.

5. HOT CHOCOLATE WAS THE FIRST CHOCOLATE TREAT.

Cacao was brewed in both Mexican and Aztec culture, though the result was nothing like today’s hot chocolate—it was a typically bitter concoction that was often used for ceremonial occasions like weddings.

6. MARIE ANTOINETTE LOVED HOT CHOCOLATE (THE MODERN KIND).

Marie didn’t just love cake, she also loved chocolate, and hot chocolate was frequently served at the Palace of Versailles. It wasn’t just the taste everyone loved—it was also believed that the drink was an aphrodisiac.

7. CACAO WAS ONCE USED AS CURRENCY.

The Aztecs loved and valued the cacao bean so highly that they used it as currency during the height of their civilization.

8. SPANISH FRIARS HELPED SPREAD THE LOVE.

After cacao and chocolate were introduced to Europe, travelling Spanish friars took it to various monasteries, handily spreading it around the continent.

9. A PAIR OF BRITISH CONFECTIONERS INVENTED SOLID CHOCOLATE.

The Fry and Sons shop concocted what they called “eating chocolate” in 1847 by combining cocoa butter, sugar, and chocolate liquor. This was a grainy, solid form of the treat.

10. COCOA AND CACAO ARE THE SAME THING.

The words are interchangeable! It’s all one bean.

11. NAPOLEON LOVED CHOCOLATE.

The French leader demanded that wine and chocolate be made available to him and his senior advisers even during intense military campaigns.

12. BAKER'S CHOCOLATE ISN’T JUST FOR BAKING.

Dr. James Baker and John Hannon founded their chocolate company—later called Walter Baker Chocolate—in 1765. That’s where the term “Baker's Chocolate” comes from, not to denote chocolate that’s just meant for cooking.

13. MILTON HERSHEY REALLY WAS A CANDY KING.

The Pennsylvania native may be best known for starting The Hershey Chocolate Company in good old Hershey, PA, but he got his start in candy long before hooking up with chocolate. His founded his first company, The Lancaster Caramel Company, when he was 30 years old.

14. MILK CHOCOLATE WAS INVENTED IN SWITZERLAND

Daniel Peter created the tasty treat in 1875—after eight years of trying to make his recipe work. Condensed milk ended up being the key ingredient.

15. MAKING CHOCOLATE IS HARD WORK.

Despite its regal background and revered status, the cacao bean doesn’t just magically turn into chocolate—it takes about 400 beans to make a single pound of the good stuff.

16. THE FIRST CHOCOLATE BAR WAS MADE IN ENGLAND.

Way back in 1842, the Cadbury company made the very first chocolate bar. The company is still in existence, and is perhaps most famous for their delightful Easter-themed treats.

17. MOST CACAO IS NOW GROWN IN AFRICA.

Despite its Amazonian roots, most cacao—nearly 70 percent of the world’s supply—comes from Africa. The Ivory Coast is the largest single producer, providing about 30 percent of all the world’s cacao.

18. CACAO TREES CAN LIVE TO BE 200 YEARS OLD.

That may sound impressive, but the tropical beauties only make viable cacao beans for just 25 years of their lifespan.

19. THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF CACAO.

Most modern chocolate comes from forastero beans, which are considered easy to grow—though the crillo bean is believed to make much tastier chocolate.

20. CHOCOLATE HAS A SPECIAL MELTING POINT.

Chocolate is the only edible substance to melt around 93° F, just below the human body temperature. That’s why chocolate melts so easily on your tongue.

BE YOURSELF

We introverts tend to say yes to a lot of things out of guilt. Can you blame us?

We feel enormous pressure to fit into a culture that worships extroversion. More specifically, we feel pressure to be outgoing busybodies with a packed social calendar. The desire to keep up with the extrovert ideal drives introverts to say yes to all sorts of things we hate.

What we risk by saying no

We secretly believe that if we say no, our life could start to unravel. We imagine saying no will lead our coworkers to think we’re mean, lazy, or (gasp!) genuinely too busy to do their job for them.

Our acquaintances will realize how unloveable and despicable we really are and create a secret club that gathers weekly for the sole purpose of talking behind our back.

Our chance at real success – the kind that involves money, admiration, and endless attention on Twitter – could be lost forever.

These are just a few of the irrational fears that keep us from saying no to shit we hate. The truth is that saying no to needless obligations frees up time and energy for more worthwhile things. You know, like activities we actually enjoy, and benefit from.

The most common no’s for introverts

The things we secretly want to say no to vary from one introvert to the next. Our list often includes social obligations, such as happy hour with coworkers, or holiday parties. Perhaps, we’re dying to say no to community obligations, like strata meetings, or fundraising efforts. Parents might feel the urge to say no to heading up the next school bake sale, or book drive.

Many of us desperately want to say no to work opportunities that seem like a definite ‘should’, but don’t align with our core values: “Sure, I’ll head up the company fundraising campaign, even though I hate event planning, and I’m pretty sure the charity we’re promoting is a sham.

No matter how strongly we want to say no to something, sometimes we just can’t help it. We say a reluctant and immediately regretted yes. Then we suffer the consequences.

Is saying yes driving you insane?

Some of us are such yes people that we actively seek out obligations we know will overwhelm us. Take my friend Emma, for example. A while ago, Emma went through a chaotic period in her life. A close family member had a serious illness, which meant she had to rearrange her life to care for her. On top of this, she had a demanding full-time job, plus a house and dog to tend to.

One day, while Emma and I were catching up over lunch, a friend of hers, who owns a fitness studio, popped over to our booth to say hello.

“How are things?” Emma asked her friend.

“My office girl just quit, so it’s been crazy. I’m pretty much living at the studio, but you do what you gotta do.”

“You know, if you ever need help at the studio, just call me,” said Emma.  “Really, I’d be happy to come in and volunteer for a few hours a week. My schedule is flexible, just let me know and I’ll be there.”

As sincere and generous as Emma’s offer was, I couldn’t help but wonder, “What the heck are you thinking?!” From my point of view, Emma’s life looked like a tornado had run through it. The last thing she needed were more obligations.

Sometimes, saying no is simply the omission of yes. It’s keeping your pretty little mouth shut when you’re tempted to volunteer your valuable time and energy for something you don’t actually want to do.

Of course, It’s not always easy to know if the activity in question is worthy of a yes. Like Emma, we might genuinely want to help a friend in need. Most of us want to do the right thing. We want to be good people, we really do. But where do we draw the line between generosity and martyrdom? How do we know if we should say yes or no?

3 questions to determine if it’s a yes or no:

Does it align with a bigger vision or goal? 

For example, if your main goal in life is to be the best writer you can be, you’ll want to say yes to as many writing opportunities as possible. Meanwhile, you might have to turn down activities that impede your creativity, such as big networking events.

How does saying yes feel in your body? 

If the thought of doing an activity makes you feel heavy, and even queazy, it’s probably a no. On the other hand, if it makes you feel light and excited, say yes, baby! (I should note that some worthwhile activities are scary. If you’re unsure if that queazy feeling stems from healthy fear, or unnecessary obligation, revert to question #1 and explore in more detail.)

Who will this benefit? 

You would think that activities that benefit the most people should always be a yes. Not exactly. You have to gain something too, my friend. The benefit for you could be building confidence, reaching a goal, or gaining a skill that is important to you. Let’s not forget that you can do something just for the pure enjoyment of it. It’s also essential to remember …

You don’t have to please everyone. Truly connecting with one person trumps mildly entertaining the masses.  

What about obligations?

There are some things in life that we absolutely cannot say no to. Parental obligations are a perfect example of this. Some work commitments are right up there on the list, too. Here’s a tip:

If you are constantly saying yes to shit you hate in one particular area of your life, consider making a major change. If you hate every aspect of your job, it might be time for a career change. If you hate everything about raising your family in the big city, maybe it’s time to consider relocating.

Of course, such decisions can’t be taken lightly. But they shouldn’t be ignored either. Saying yes to stuff we hate takes its toll on introverts. It drains our precious introvert energy, and makes life infinitely more sucky.

Life’s too short to say yes to shit you hate.