1. Its history and its several uses
Chocolate
Its history and its several uses

2. The history
Chocolate is made from cocoa seeds, known and used in the whole world.
The cocoa plant has ancient origins and, as some researches say, we can presume that it was discovered 6000 years ago in Brazil, on the shores of the Amazonian river.
But only in the year 1502 chocolate reached Europe. This was possible thanks to Christopher Columbus, who had just come back to Spain after his famous voyage.
In the early 1600, chocolate arrived in Italy and in the XVII century it became the luxury for the Dutch nobles, after Holland had been colonized by the Spanish.
I think we have to thank them!!

3. The uses How they have changed during the years
The chocolate is very used...it is modelled in different
shapes, especially for recurrences and/or holidays.
Moreover, chocolate is an ingredient of several sweets:
ice-creams, cakes, biscuits, puddings and so on.
The Europeans have added other ingredients, such as:
vanilla, sugar, cherries, oranges to correct his natural bitterness.
Anciently, on special occasions, chocolate was used
to honour divinities, offered with incense
and the blood of the same priests.
Besides his holy employment, it was and is used as a drink.

4. Why is it so famous?
Chocolate is famous for its several interpretations.
In fact a piece of chocolate, can be associated to a different picture or it has different meanings, like these:
Mystery
A toy
Taste and Flavour
Seduction

5. Mystery
Chocolate was considered overseas population as holy drink offered to men by “God”. In addition to being considered precious as the origin of wisdom, it was thought to give you strength and energy . In spite of this, the first impressions among the Europeans were not positive:
but we don’t know why!

6. The chocolate as a toy
Usually this type of interpretation is given by children. Most of them buy little chocolate-eggs only for the surprise they find inside!
Have you ever wondered why we eat so much chocolate during the Easter period?

7. Taste and flavour
A lot of people, when they eat a piece of chocolate, are concentrated on its taste.
But it changes according to people.
Some feel it bitter, some others sweet.
Who is right?

8. TELL ME HOW MUCH CHOCOLATE YOU EAT AND I WILL TELL YOU HOW MUCH YOU LOVE..
Seduction
Chocolate was also used as aphrodisiac and tonic to increase lovers’ sexual desire during their intercourses.

9. What doctors say...
Studies and researches have confirmed that chocolate produces good benefits for your body, especially for your heart. It is an anti-depressant and is not true that it can be a problem for your teeth. Furthermore, it contains a high number of nutrients but it is not a component for a diet!

10. TYPES OF CHOCOLATE (the most used)
White Chocolate
Milk Chocolate
Plain Chocolate

11. The white chocolate...
White chocolate is made of cocoa butter, milk, and sugar. Since white chocolate contains neither cocoa solids nor chocolate liquor (cocoa mass), it does not meet the standard to be marketed as chocolate in many countries. But it has not ingredients that can decrease your health-problems, studies shows.

12. Milk chocolate
Milk chocolate is chocolate with milk powder or condensed milk added. Milk chocolate is the best-selling variety of chocolate in the world today and it is perfect for children. However the addition of milk to create milk chocolate may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants.

13. Plain chocolate
Plain chocolate without milk as an additive is also called dark chocolate.
Dark Chocolate is the healthiest type of chocolate. Dark chocolate has ingredients that lower blood pressure and fight disease. It is a potent antioxidant. So if you want to be as healthy as is possible, than eat dark chocolate!

14. THANKS FOR WATCHING!
Federica, Ivanna and Marika