Resumenes

* Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Itsearliest documented use is around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican people made chocolate beverages, including the Aztecs, who made it into a beverage known as xocolātl, a Nahuatl word meaning"bitter water". The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor.
* Cocoa solids contain alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine,which have physiological effects on the body. It has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. Some research found that chocolate, eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure. The presence oftheobromine renders chocolate toxic to some animals, especially dogs and cats.
* Chocolate has become one of the most popular food types and flavors in the world. Gifts of chocolate molded intodifferent shapes have become traditional on certain holidays: chocolate bunnies and eggs are popular on Easter, chocolate coins on Hanukkah, Santa Claus and other holiday symbols on Christmas, andchocolate hearts or chocolate in heart-shaped boxes on Valentine's Day. Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and hot chocolate.
* The Europeans sweetened andfattened it by adding refined sugar and milk, two ingredients unknown to the Mexicans. By contrast, the Europeans never infused it into their general diet, but have compartmentalized its use to sweetsand desserts. In the 19th century, Briton John Cadbury developed an emulsification process to make solid chocolate creating the modern chocolate bar. Although cocoa is originally from the Americas,today Western Africa produces almost two-thirds of the world's cocoa, with Côte d'Ivoire growing almost half of it.


* Different brands of chocolate....