It seems the whole world loves chocolate. It’s been around for more than 3,000 years, so we’ve had a long time to enjoy it. Chocolate is America’s favorite flavor and the average American eats about 12 pounds a year! It also flavors soymilk, cookies, and soy ice cream. It is offered as a treat and given as a gift. The stores often sell out of packaged chocolate treats on Easter, Halloween, and St. Valentine’s Day. In fact, on Valentine’s Day alone Americans spend half a billion dollars on chocolate! Worldwide, though, the Swiss are the biggest users, eating 22 lbs. per person a year.

Let’s take a look at the origins of this delicious treat. Scientists believe the first cacao trees grew wild in the Amazon valleys of South America. Archaeologists report cacao was cultivated by an ancient race, the Olmecs, who were probably the first people to use it. They passed their knowledge on to the Mayans who took it with them when they migrated to the Yucatan. The Mayans made drinks from cacao which they grew on their plantations.

Next came the Toltecs and Aztecs. They enjoyed cacao by grinding the beans into a fine powder and mixing it with water. The result was a cold, somewhat bitter drink called chocolatl. It was said the great Aztec Emperor, Montezuma, loved the taste so much he drank 50 cups of chocolatl a day. He served it to his Spanish guests in great golden goblets, treating it like a food for the gods, which it was sometimes called.

When the Spanish Explorers brought the bean back to Spain, they made a few changes. The Spanish drank the beverage warm and added a sweetener, probably cane sugar. Before long, this version became the rage of Europe as people were swept up in a cocoa-craze. It really caught on when King Louis XIV established a new court position, The Royal Chocolate Maker to the King. Cocoa pubs popped up everywhere and England developed such a following that ale makers tried to restrict their sale.

John Hanon, an Irish immigrant, manufactured the first North American chocolate in 1765 in a corner of a Boston Factory. Then in 1828, a Dutch inventor by the name of Conrad van Houten, created a cocoa press which separated the beans into cocoa butter and cocoa powder. This press made the first bar of solid chocolate. Later, sugar and milk were added and it became the delicious treat that stole our hearts.

Chocolate was here to stay and America’s most famous chocolatier was a Pennsylvanian named Milton Hershey. He repeatedly went broke before making his first million. After that, there was no stopping him. Chocolate bars were carried by the armed forces during World War II to give the soldier’s quick energy when needed. Then the U.S. Army commissioned Hershey’s Chocolate to develop a chocolate bar for its troops fighting in the hot sands of the Persian Gulf. They came through with the Desert Bar which could withstand temperatures up to 140 degrees without melting. Hershey bars have also been carried into space as part of the diet of the United States astronauts.

If you are worried this delicious, heart-warming treat is not good for you, then worry no more. Research indicates chocolate may be the olive oil of the desserts. Three separate studies report that even when chocolate is consumed in moderation on a daily basis, it does not raise cholesterol levels in healthy individuals. Researchers even say it may be good for you! Preliminary evidence recently showed cocoa and other chocolates might keep your blood flowing and your heart healthy. Its feel-good chemicals have long been associated with feelings of love, safety, and comfort. Chocolate contains vitamins A, B1, C, D and E, as well as potassium, sodium, iron and fluorine. Researchers even say those delicious chocolate confections may actually help us live longer.

To date, dark chocolate appears to have the most benefits, but if you are a milk-chocolate lover, don’t worry; it’s good for you, too. Some people worry chocolate will keep them awake at night, but it has been found there is less caffeine in a bar of chocolate than in a cup of coffee. An average cup of coffee contains 100 to 150 mgs. of caffeine, whereas a bar of chocolate contains only 30 milligrams.

Before long you may hear these word, “Eat a chocolate candy bar and call me in the morning.” Those of us who have been self-medicating ourselves with a few chocolate candies were simply ahead of our time!

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----Sheila O'Niell has been published in Highlights for Children, Child Life, Primary Treasure, Our Little Friend, Nature Friend Magazine, The Numismatist, Young & Alive, The Conqueror, Sirs Discoverer, Wee Ones-E Magazine, Vegetarian Baby & Child and SSD Adventist in Asia.