What is the chocolate capital of the world?
Home to some of the world’s finest chocolatiers; Belgium’s chocolate heritage dates back hundreds of years. The Flanders region in particular is often referred to as the capital of chocolate, especially since two of the globe’s biggest chocolate factories, Callebaut and Puratos, are located here. Godiva is synonymous with fine Belgian chocolate. Now owned by a Turkish company, Godiva still has its management and the original factory (built in 1926) in Belgium. The shop on the Grand Place was Godiva’s first (est.
Which country likes chocolate the most?
Switzerland holds the distinction of consuming the most chocolate per capita. The Swiss are renowned for their love of chocolate, a reputation well-supported by statistics showing their high consumption levels. Cailler chocolate is only available in Switzerland.
Which country invented chocolate?
The history of chocolate begins its 4,000 years of history in ancient Mesoamerica, present day Mexico and the birthplace of chocolate. It’s here that the first cacao plants, the plant which chocolate is made from, were found. Chocolate history starts out around 1000BC in Latin America, where cacao trees grow wild. The first people to use chocolate were probably the Olmec of what is today southeast Mexico, and their word, “kakawa,” gave us our word “cacao.To clear up any confusion, think of cocoa and cacao as words used to show the different stages of chocolate’s production process. They both originate from cacao beans. Cacao is the name for the earlier stage, where the beans have not yet been roasted, while cocoa is used once the fermenting begins.
What is the healthiest chocolate?
When it comes to the healthiest chocolate, there’s really no contest, says Allers. Dark chocolate is by far the healthiest form of the treat, containing the least sugar and, because of its cocoa content, higher levels of substances that protect the body’s cells. Dark chocolate with higher percentages of cacao solids typically contains less sugar but more fat. More cacao also means more flavanols, so it is best to choose dark chocolate that includes at least 70 percent cacao solids or more.Choose Dark Over Milk (To get a meaningful amount, choose a bar that’s at least 70 percent cocoa. Harvard researchers recently found that people who ate dark chocolate five or more times a week had a 21 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those who rarely ate it, likely due in part to the flavanols.White chocolate is the worst – it has more calories than milk chocolate and more sugar than dark. Read more: Why does chocolate make us happy?