13 More Things You May Not Know About Chocolate
Chocolate is so wonderful, so amazing, that we've decided to forego our standard procedure of just telling you 5 or 6 things you may not know about something, and more than double it. Why 13 things, you ask? Because if we went any further, you'd stop reading, drop your phone, and run to the nearest chocolate eating opportunity. Let's get started.
Chocolate is so wonderful, so amazing, that we’ve decided to forego our standard procedure of just telling you 5 or 6 things you may not know about something, and more than double it. Why 13 things, you ask? Because if we went any further, you’d stop reading, drop your phone, and run to the nearest chocolate eating opportunity. Let’s get started.
1. Hershey’s produces more than 80 million chocolate “kisses” every single day.
Hershey’s: producing far more kisses a day than Tinder. Photo: frankieleon / Flickr
While we’re talking about Hershey’s, let’s hit you up with two more noteworthy facts about the company: 1) Hershey’s is the largest and oldest chocolate company in the U.S.; and 2) Hershey’s produces over one billion pounds of chocolate product annually.
2. Research indicates that dark chocolate increases blood flow to the brain, which boosts memory, attention span, reaction time, and problem-solving skills.
"You know why I’m crushing this math test? One word: Chocolate."
Chocolate’s scent also increases theta brain waves, which induce relaxation. This is one of the reasons why people feel less stressed out or less anxious after eating chocolate. I’m not saying that you should forego studying or working hard and instead just eat chocolate. But what I may be saying is do both.
3. The world’s biggest chocolate bar weighs 12,770 pounds.
Like this, only 12,770 times as big.
It was created by Thorntons plc on October 7, 2011. I don’t know a lot about Thorntons plc, but I bet that if you looked them up on Wikipedia, the word “show offs” would appear somewhere within.
4. A lethal dose of chocolate for a human being is about 22 lbs. or 40 Hershey bars.
You know what else weights about 20 lbs.? A car tire.
If you’re scoring at home, here are a few other things that weigh close to 22 lbs:
- 80 sticks of butter
- 2 gallons of water
- A medium sized bag of dog food
- A KitchenAid Stand Mixer
- I’m guessing (hoping) you have nothing to worry about.
5. Milton Hershey, the founder of Hershey Chocolate, had a VIP ticket aboard the Titanic but cancelled his trip last minute.
Hershey had a $300 deposit for a state room aboard the Titanic.
There are two theories as to why Hershey did not board: 1) a pressing matter at the factory required his attention; 2) his wife Kitty had fallen ill, resulting in them departing earlier on another ship. As of yet, there is no truth to the rumor that Hershey’s nickname was “lucky bastard.”
6. If you think you are allergic to chocolate, you may in fact be allergic to cockroaches, as the FDA says that around eight insect parts are typically found in a bar of chocolate and deemed safe.
It doesn’t seem as bad when it’s a drawing… right?
According to reports, anything less than 60 insect pieces per 100 grams of chocolate (2 chocolate bars) is deemed safe for consumption by the FDA. Roach bits can cause migraines, cramps and hives for those who are allergic to them. For those not allergic to them, they can cause the immediate thought: “How the hell does the FDA think this is OK?!”
7. A single chocolate chip can give you enough energy to walk 150 feet.
There’s over 4,000 feet of walking in this picture alone.
Which is hopefully just far enough for you to get to a store so that you can buy some more chocolate chips.
8. During WWII, the Germans designed an exploding, chocolate-covered, thin steel bomb designed to blow up seven seconds after a piece was broken off.
Who needs a tank when you have a bar of chocolate?
Adolf Hitler’s bomb makers had a plot to kill Sir Winston Churchill by placing coated explosive devises within a thin layer of rich dark chocolate. They then packaged it in expensive looking black and gold paper. The Germans’ plan was to use secret agents working in Britain to discretely place the bars among other luxury items taken into the dining room used by the War Cabinet.
The plan was foiled by British spies who discovered the chocolate was being made – and Churchill and the public were alerted before any damage could be done.
9. White chocolate actually is not a chocolate. It contains no cocoa solids or cocoa liquor.
That’s OK, white chocolate - be yourself. We’ll still like you.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious and great in a cookie. It just may mean that it’s trying to be something that it’s not, and either through counseling or just growing out of it, all will be OK.
10. About 40% of all almonds produced in the world are created for chocolate related products.
Hey apple, this is between almond and chocolate. Stop being a glory hog. We already wrote about you 2 days ago.
If sometimes you feel like a nut (in your chocolate), then you have the almond to thank for that.
11. Let’s talk cacao trees and beans.
I wish I had chocolate trees growing in my backyard. Photo: Dennis Tang / Flickr
Some quick facts for you:
- Cacao trees can live to be 200 years old, but they produce marketable cocoa beans for only 25 years.
- Each cacao tree can produce approximately 2,500 beans.
- It takes a cacao tree four to five years to produce its first beans.
12. Americans eat 2.8 billion pounds of candy each year. Chocolate accounts for approximately half of that.
It’s OK to use Halloween as an excuse for most of that consumption.
That works out to Americans eating 3.8 million pounds of chocolate every day! But if it makes you feel good then it’s all good… right?
13. Chocolate provides a longer lasting brain and body “buzz” than kissing.
I’ll save some on my lips… for later.
It also sets your heart pounding at a much more rapid rate than kissing. No word out on whether there are any studies about what happens when you kiss your chocolate, but I’m about to go give it a test.