The chocolate is the food that is made by mixing sugar with two products derived from the manipulation of the seeds of cocoa mass and cocoa butter cacao.2 From this basic combination, produce different types of chocolate, that depends on the ratio between these elements and their mixture, or not, with other products such as milk and nuts.
Cocoa has been cultivated by many cultures for at least three millennia in Mesoamerica. The earliest use traces to Mokaya Culture of Mexico and Guatemala, with evidence of chocolate beverages dating from 1900 BC evidence., 3. In fact, most of the Mesoamerican people made chocolate beverages, including the Maya and Aztecas.
Origin:
They are not known with certainty the origin of the cacao tree. Some theories propose that its spread just began in the tropical lowlands of South America, the Orinoco River basin or the Amazon, extending gradually to reach the southeast of Mexico. Others arguments said that it spread from southeastern Mexico to the Amazon basin. It has to assume that the earliest evidence of human use are in Mexican territory, that long ago was occupied by prehispanic cultures.
Natural Composition:
The two main ingredients of chocolate are caloric: fat and sugar.
Carbohydrates: are provided especially sugars, which provide almost half of the total energy. Cocoa as raw material also contains starch and fiber, but these components are then more diluted final chocolate products.
Fats: provide the other half of the energy produced chocolate. The exception is cocoa powder, which has very little fat content.
Fiber-found in significant amounts in both cocoa powder and insoluble; however, the finished chocolate products contain significant amounts little.
The minerals: in black chocolates and cocoa powder mineral intake is reduced by dilution with other ingredients; instead, milk chocolate and white chocolate are enriched mainly with the calcium intake.
Proteins: they have a prominent place, except in the milk chocolate and white chocolate, milk ingredients which increase its protein value. In addition, cocoa as raw material also offers higher percentages.
Vitamins: it emphasizes especially folic acid. White chocolate and milk have higher amounts of vitamin A than other cocoa derivatives because they contain dairy.
Energy: the chocolates generally (and to a lesser extent cocoa powder) are very energy foods
Curius fact : Day International of the Chocolate
The celebration was established in 1995 in honor of the birthday of the writer of the famous book «Charlie and the Chocolate Factory».
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