Did you know that chocolate is one of the most popular sweets in the world? Well, it is and here are some reasons why people today love chocolate. People are able grow a cocoa plant. I`ll take you through the journey of how chocolate was discovered. Here is the journey of how chocolate was discovered. One reason why chocolate is one of the most popular sweet in the world is because chocolate’s ingredients have a significant impact on brain chemistry. Chocolate has hundreds of naturally occurring chemicals in it that have been shown to have “feel good” effects on our bodies.
Chocolate is known to be a mild mold elevator, pushing your stress levels down. Chocolate also can raise antioxidant levels in the blood, which in turn helps fight any foreign bodies that can cause illnesses. Chocolate was available for quite some time at a very in expensive price. Chocolate doesn’t just come in milk chocolate it also comes in dark chocolate. The difference between dark and milk chocolate is that dark chocolate has a higher percentage of cocoa solids than milk chocolate. Milk chocolate is made by combining chocolate with milk power or condensed milk.
Dark chocolate has several health benefits associated with it. Dark chocolate was first used in Central America in the time of the Aztecs. Milk chocolate was first made in the 19th century by Swiss manufacturer. There are very important steps to cocoa tree. It takes six steps to plant a cocoa tree. The first step is testing your soil in the shady area where you plan to plant your cocoa tree and adjust the pH if it is not acidic. To make your soil more acidic, add sulfur to lower the pH around 5. 0. Dig any type of compost into your planting area and
then plant your young cacao tree under a coconut palm, a stand of bananas or other tree(s) that will provide shade. If you live in a windy area, provide some protection from wind, either by planting your cacao tree behind larger trees that will protect it or by building a wind break. Fertilize your tree when you plant it by spreading a granular fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio of 12-12-17 or 15-15-6 on the soil in a radius about 1 foot from the trunk, use the same fertilizer the second year, but apply it about 2 feet from trunk.
As the tree grows larger, apply fertilizer about 3 feet from the trunk once a year. A mature tree might occasionally need boron and zincas well. Watch for fungal diseases, such cocoa pod borer. Rodents that can attack cocoa trees. Harvest pods regularly and completely to help control the borer insect. Chemical control with a broad- spectrum insecticide has been reposted to be effective. Treat fungal diseases with an approved fungicide. Harvest the large pods when they become red or purple to ensure ripeness of the beans inside.
Prune your cocoa tree to keep it a manageable size, which will make harvesting the cocoa beans easier, the tree, can reach 45 feet tall in the wild. Here is the journey to the discovery of chocolate. The story of chocolate begins with cocoa trees that grew wild in the tropical rain forests of the amazon basin and other areas in central and South America for thousands of years. The Maya Indians and the Aztecs recognized the value of cocoa beans- both as an ingredient for their special chocolate drink and as currency for hundreds of years before cocoa was brought to Europe.
It is believed that Christopher Columbus is said to brought the first cocoa beans back to Europe from his fourth visit to the New World between 1502 and 1504. However, far more exciting treasures on board his galleons meant the humble cocoa were ignored. It was his fellow explorer, the Spanish Conquistador Don Hernan Cortes, who first realized their commercial value. He brought cocoa beans back to Spain in 1528 and very gradually, the custom of drinking the chocolate spread across Europe, reaching England in the 1650’s.
Chocolate seems to be everyone’s favorite treat. Chocolate comes in many different ways. People seem to enjoy them no matter how they come. They enjoy just plain chocolate, covered chocolate or even chocolate milk. Reference Page www. gardenguides. com copyright @ 1997-2010 Written by: Rachel and updated on Nov. 13, 2009 Articles on DifferenceBetween. net Written by: Dr. Bankole A. Johnson, the William and Marguerite S. Wurzbach Distinguished Professor in the departments of psychiatry and pharmacology uthsa. edu Updated on February 9, 2001 Ciampa,, Linda.
“Researches say chocolate triggers feel-good Chemicals,” Food. 14 Feb. 1996. CCN Interactive 14 Sep. 2010 Table of Contents Introductions……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………page 1 Why is chocolate the most popular sweet? ……………………………………………………………………. page 1 How is dark chocolate different from milk chocolate? ……………………………………………………. page 1 How are cocoa beans grown? …………………………………………………………………………………page 1 and 2 How was discovered? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..