With Valentines Day coming up, itÔÇÖs only natural that our minds turn to the traditional gifts and treats associated with it ÔÇô why do people give chocolate as a gift to that special someone?
WellÔǪchocolateÔÇÖs reputation as an aphrodisiac is deeply embedded in the history of civilization. The Mayans used cacao beans to pay for┬áerrÔǪyou knowÔǪladies of the evening. Apparently, the great Aztec king┬áMontezuma would quaff as many as fifty cups of hot chocolate before heading off to his haremÔǪlucky wives!
The Spanish Conquistadors introduced chocolate to Europe not as a bedroom enhancer but as a rich, hot drink. Yet text from the seventeenth century show┬áthat by the Rococo period people had started to believe that ÔÇ£One obtained strength from chocolate for certain tasks.ÔÇØ Oo-er!
But does it actually do anything? Well, tests have proved that there is phenylethylamine in chocolate which releases the same hormone in the brain as do ÔÇÿcertain tasksÔÇÖ (ahem). Although people would say the amount is far, far too small to produce significant results, there are hundreds of other chemical compounds too. In fact, chocolate is among the worldÔÇÖs most complex foods.
Chocolate contains antioxidants from the same ÔÇ£familyÔÇØ as those in green tea and┬áred wine. Studies show that the antioxidant activity in one serving of cocoa is higher than that of either tea or wine. The darker the chocolate, the more potent antioxidants it contains ÔÇô and itÔÇÖs been proven that eating it produces natural opiates in the brain. So eating chocolate really does make you feel good!
So, perhaps our historical lovers werenÔÇÖt too far off the mark. Even the most famous lothario Casanova believed dark chocolateÔÇÖs sweet, complex and sensual pleasure was among the worldÔÇÖs finest aphrodisiacs, second only to Champagne.
You know you can get the best stuff at Deliciously Gorgeous, right?
