Question of the Day: How do you get children to obey you? Answer: You Give them a piece of chocolate!
Whether it’s a bribe to get something out of them, or perhaps even a means to reward them for a job well done, Chocolate always gets it right! No wonder, then, that this brown, sugary treat is often referred to as ‘The Food of The Gods!’
Children will be all the more eager to learn all they can, about this one food that’s most special to them. Luckily for you, this article is laced with all the Chocolate-y information you need. From Chocolate History to Chocolate Facts for Kids, we have all the pertinent chocolate-related information here, for them to savor. Are you ready to ‘unwrap’ that Bar of Information, and have your kids stock up on their Knowledge of Chocolate? Let’s take a walk through the corridors of time, and explore Chocolate History!
Chocolate History: The Origins of Chocolate
Once upon a time, around 3000 years ago, the Maya and Aztec peoples curated a strange beverage from cocoa beans. These beans were procured from Cacao trees that abound even back in those times. If you’ve ever found yourself asking the question, ‘Where does Chocolate come from?’, you now have the answer!
While initially it found its use as a ‘ceremonial drink’, in a short while that primitive version of Chocolate was being used as ‘currency’!
Fun Fact: it was none other than the Mayans, who considered Chocolate to be the Food of the Gods!
It was years later – In the year 1519 precisely, that the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortés was served a chocolate drink that went by the name Xocolatl. So taken by this wonderful beverage was Hernan, he took the drink back with him to Spain. Only a short while hence, ‘special’ ingredients were being added to it. Things like Cinnamon, Vanilla and Sugar. All of a sudden, Chocolate seemed to be the rage amongst Spanish royalty!
Shortly thereafter, this Chocolate Drink became the go-to drink amongst the affluent in England and even France. That only paved the way towards the creation of ‘Eating Chocolate’ that we know so well today, in the 1800s.
All about Chocolate: Types of Chocolate
Kids will be interested to learn about the various ‘Types of chocolate’ they can lay their hands on, like the following.
- Ground Chocolate
- Milk Chocolate
- Dark Chocolate
- Milk Chocolate
As the name suggests, this finely-ground chocolate is most often used in ‘garnishing’.
Ah! This one’s the variety of chocolate that’s the preferred choice of kids all over the world. It is nothing other than Chocolate, with Milk added to it.
The type preferred more by adults, this type of Chocolate is noticeably darker than its Milk counterpart, and considerably less sweeter.
Preferred by a select section of people, this Chocolate variant has only Cocoa Butter in it, out of all the cocoa products that normally go into other chocolate types.
All about Chocolate: The Benefits of Chocolate for Kids
Presenting some reasons why Chocolate, when eaten in moderation of course, is better than you think for your kids.
- Good for Emotional Health
- It is packed with Flavonoids
- It can help in losing weight!
Chocolate gives kids that energy boost and ‘emotional upliftment’, that only serves to make them happier.
In case you didn’t know already, those Flavonoids in Chocolate have a whole host of health benefits, like reducing inflammation and even, reducing their chances of becoming diabetic!
You might want to think again, where it comes to hiding that chocolate bar from your child, to prevent them becoming obese. In reality, Chocolate is great in stepping up your child’s metabolism, thus enhancing the fat-burning process. Once again, only when consumed ‘in moderation’!
All about Chocolate: Fascinating Chocolate Facts for Kids
While your kids might have enjoyed the fictional tale of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, it’s about time they get to learn some Chocolate Facts, too! They might know the answer to the question ‘Where does Chocolate come from’, but there’s plenty more to know!
- The first ‘Chocolate Chip Cookie’ was created by Ruth Wakefield. This was by ‘sheer accident’, back in the year 1930! Note: What’s even more interesting, is the fact that she gave her supply to ‘Nestle’, in return for a lifetime supply of chocolate. Now, that’s a story for kids over the ages!
- Take 5 by Hershey, is the largest bar of chocolate in the world. This one’s a whopping 9 feet long and 5.5 feet wide, and weighs 1.5 ounces!
- We have all heard of chocolate companies like Cadbury and Hershey’s. However, the first-ever Chocolate Bar was created by a British company called J.S. Fry & Sons.
Fun Fact: This bar was infused with sugar, as well as cocoa butter and cocoa powder. - Milk Chocolate was invented in Switzerland. It was in the year 1875. The inventor was originally a Swiss candlemaker, and his name was Daniel Peter. That’s perhaps why people who go for a trip to Switzerland, come back with suitcases packed with milk chocolates!
Fun Fact: It took Daniel Peter all of ‘8 years’ to create the Milk Chocolate Recipe. This only begs the question, ‘What ever would have happened, if he had given up?’ - Technically, White Chocolate is not considered to be Chocolate! That’s because it doesn’t have any Cacao Solids in it. Oh well, Tomato is technically a Fruit, and yet most consider it a Vegetable!
- The melting point of chocolate is the same as that of the human body.
Tip: You might want to get your kids to let that chocolate melt on the tips of their tongues. It will taste far better than in its solid form. - Dark chocolate is considered to be healthier than Milk Chocolate. This is because of its lower sugar and milk content. This bit of knowledge might not work in getting kids to eat less Milk Chocolate and more Dark Chocolate, though!
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