FUNDTASTIC FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE
We are pleased to bring you some interesting facts and trivia about chocolate!
DID YOU KNOW....
...that approximately 400 cocoa beans are required to make one pound of chocolate?
...that the word "chocolate" is derived from the Aztec word "xocolati", which means bitter water?
...that Columbus brought cacao beans back to Spain on his fourth voyage in 1502?
...that the cacao pod which contains the bean grows from the trunk of the tree and was the inspiration for the famous Coca-Cola bottle shape?
...that hot chocolate was first brought to North America by the Dutch sometime in the 1600s?
...that hot chocolate and churros is the traditional working man's breakfast in Spain?
...that Mexican hot chocolate includes semi-sweet chocolate, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla?
...that in Belgium and some other areas of Europe, if you order a "warme chocolade" or "chocolat chaud" you will receive a cup of steamed milk and a small bowl of bittersweet chocolate chips to dissolve in the milk?
...that an eight ounce cup of hot chocolate contains on 9mg of caffeine, compared to an eight ounce cup of coffee which can contain up to 133mg of caffeine?
...that a study conducted by Cornell University showed that hot chocolate contains more antioxidants than wine and tea, helping to reduce the risk of heart disease?
...that James Beard, the dean of American cookery, once said "a steaming cup of hot chocolate with buttered toast is surely one of the most heart warming, body-warming, and taste-satisfying combinations known to man"?
...that when making hot chocolate it is important to remember that the type of chocolate you use and the fat content of the milk (skim, 2%, whole milk or cream) affects the flavour and richness of the hot chocolate?
...that Fundtastic Fundraising has one of the best recipes for hot chocolate that you'll ever try? Click here for the recipe.
FACTS ABOUT COCOA FROM THE RAINFOREST ALLIANCE
Farmed on over 18 million acres (7.5 million hectares) of tropical land, cocoa (Theobroma cacao) provides a means of livelihood to an estimated 40 million people, including five million farmers, 90 percent of whom are small holders, laboUrers and employees in processing factories. Like coffee, cocoa can be cultivated under the shade of native canopy trees and maintain a landscape similar to natural forest. This helps conserve the habitat of threatened plant and animal species, protect natural pollinators and predators of cocoa pests and creates biological corridors that maintain large-scale ecological and evolutionary processes.
Shade trees in an agroforestry system often include other species of economic value, which can reduce farmers' risks connected with growing a single crop. However, many farmers have cut forest to open up new fields and grow cocoa more intensively without shade. This approach has short term benefits on yields and is suitable only for hybrid plants that are increasingly replacing native cocoa. Unfortunately, these hybrid plants require the application of agrochemicals and grow in open fields, which leads to increased erosion and run-off, reducing soil fertility and contributing to water contamination and health problems.
The Rainforest Alliance, in partnership with cocoa and chocolate companies, public institutions, local organizations and farmer associations, encourages cocoa farming practices that are sustainable over the long term by maintaining a healthy environment and decent working conditions.
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