Chocolates A Girl’s Best Friend!

It is not that chocolates are a substitute for love; rather love is a substitute for chocolates. Chocolate is, let’s face it, more reliable than a man. Man cannot live on chocolate alone, but surely a woman can.

Journey of Chocolates

It all started with cocoa beans; chocolate is made from cocoa beans found on the cacao tree. Cocoa pods are harvested, crushed and fermented. Beans are roasted, graded and then grounded. Chocolate liquor is created by grinding the beans.

First people who made chocolate were the Mayas and Aztecs. They used to drink chocolate as bitter and spicy beverage called ‘Xocoatl’, which means bitter water.

In social and religious life, chocolate played an important role. It symbolised life and fertility, and was also used as medicine.

In 1528, Hernan Cortez, Spanish conquistador, brought chocolate to Europe. The drink spread from Spanish courts to other European courts. In 1615, the Spanish princess, Anne of Austria married Luis xiii of France with which chocolates came to France and in 1657, a Frenchman opened the first chocolate house in London.

The first solid chocolate in a stick form was sold in 1674. At the end of the 17th century, chocolates came to Germany.

Benefits of Chocolates

Chocolates have several benefits – may be good for heart, helps improve circulation, helps cut down blood pressure, flavones present in chocolates helps in preventing the oxidations of bad cholesterol, which reduces the stickiness of blood platelets and improves blood vessel elasticity. Theo bromine found in chocolate was found to treat coughs better than codeine. It acts as a mood enhancer, and prevents women of violent mood, heart diseases and hypertension.

Chocolates are truly a girl’s best friend, and who will not accept such a friend with so many qualities.