National Network for Equitable Library Service

Chocolate. Seductive, decadent and sinfully delicious. The pages of this book are dripping with an assortment of facts, trivia and history about the world's favorite indulgence: * Dark chocolate contains four times the antioxidants of green tea and six times what is found in blueberries; raw cacao has even more * Chocolate also contains theobromine, a gentle, non-addictive stimulant; it provides energy and increases alertness and concentration without the jitters * The Germans lead the world in chocolate consumption per capita, enjoying 24.5 pounds per person each year, compared to Canada at 8.58 and the U.S. at 12.27 * The cacao tree, a sacred plant to the Mayans, was believed to have been delivered to humans by the gods; they used the beans as currency * Because the Mars family dislikes peanut butter, Mars Inc. does not use it in any of its products * The U.S. has about 60 chocolate-related food holidays, including National Chocolate Brownie Day on December 18 and National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day on June 2 * Bugs are a typical ingredient in chocolate with an average of 80 bug fragments per 100 grams * Every Russian and American space voyage has included chocolate bars * AND...Indulge in mouth-watering recipes, useful tips and intriguing morsels.