Love That Chocolate

February 14, 2001

The Treasure Called Chocolate

Popular Valentine's Day gifts include flowers, jewelry, clothing, and romantic dinners. But according to many surveys, the most popular gift of all is chocolate. What is it that makes people crave chocolate, making it the perfect expression of love?

Throughout history, cocoa beans and chocolate have been items of value. Chocolate is made from the beans of the cocoa (originally called cacao) tree, which grows naturally in Mexico and throughout Central and South America. The ancient Mayans and Aztecs drank a special beverage made of ground cocoa beans spiced with chili peppers and cornmeal—an ancestor of mole sauce. The bean was so highly valued in these civilizations that it was also used as a currency.

Christopher Columbus first brought cocoa beans back to Europe in the early sixteenth century, but their value was overlooked. Only when Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez brought back the beans twenty years later and the Spanish substituted sugar for chili pepper in the cocoa beverage, did cocoa finally become popular throughout Europe. But for many years it was considered a luxury, within reach of the wealthy only.

Read a brief history of chocolate: Chocolate treasures from ancient civilizations to today

The Chocolate Craving

Food cravings are common, but no food seems to be as "addicting" as chocolate. This craving has been termed "chocoholism." According to the 1999 economic indicators presented by Economist Magazine, Americans eat about seven pounds of chocolate per capita annually. In Britain, the figure is close to twenty pounds per year. Americans spend about $655 million on chocolate for Valentine's Day alone.

The Chocolate Craving Culture
Babies are born with a natural preference for sweet foods in general, but according to a study by psychologist Debra Zellner of Shippenburg University in Pennsylvania, any specific preference may be an acquired taste. Zellner compared the food cravings of American and Spanish women. A majority of American women craved chocolate, where the Spanish women craved cream puffs. So maybe it is the society that we live in that has taught our mouths to water at the thought of chocolate.

The Chemistry of Chocolate Craving
Phenylethylamine is a natural chemical whose production by the brain can be triggered by such things as looking into the eyes of a significant other. An overdose of this "love molecule" causes a quickened heartbeat and sweaty palms—those physical, euphoric symptoms of falling in love.

So what does this have to do with chocolate? Chocolate also contains high levels of phenylethylamine. Perhaps people crave chocolate because it makes them feel good, like falling in love. Could phenylethylamine explain why chocolate is the leading Valentine's Day gift?

The Health Debate on Chocolate


Pro-Chocolate Several studies in recent years have shown that chocolate is rich in high-quality polyphenol antioxidants, beneficial compounds that may reduce the risk for developing cancer and heart disease. An initial study at the University of California-Davis shows that the body can absorb antioxidants from chocolate. The study also found that chocolate increased the level of HDL cholesterol—the good cholesterol—in the subjects' blood. Con-Chocolate Chocolate is high in fat content, and most chocolate concoctions contain a lot of sugar. Enough said. Many people claim that they are allergic to chocolate, although scientists think that a true chocolate allergy is rare. These people are probably allergic to ingredients added during the processing: corn syrup, lecithin, gluten, or nuts. Chocolate is also often associated with migraine headaches, although according to an article in the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, "it's not clear whether chocolate causes migraine or whether a sudden craving for chocolate is an early symptom of an impending migraine."

Learn More

You can learn more about Mayan culture with Edmark's Talking Walls: The Stories Continue—Maya Murals (available on CD-ROM). Visit the accompanying Web site.
A common symbol for Valentine's Day is a heart. Learn more about the human heart in the Middle School Gateways activity, The Circulatory System. (This activity requires Logal Express. Get a free trial subscription.)

More Links

The Exploratorium Museum in San Francisco, California, held a special Valentine's Day Webcast on chocolate. You can watch a video of the program and visit the online exhibition: The Sweet Science of Chocolate.

Have some fun at Hershey's Candy Bar Factory.

Related Resources

Kids have long enjoyed the fantasy trip in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl.
Looking for a good read and lots of recipes? Try The Chocolate Bible: The Definitive Sourcebook.