http___metro-portal.hr_sedam-slatkih-cinjenica-o-cokoladi_68202_1.xml
1.1 2.1 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 8.1 9.1 9.2 9.3 10.1 10.2 10.3 11.1 11.2 11.3 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4
Chocolate hearts have long been a staple of Valentine's Day, and while the best part of the delectable may be its heart-warming taste, many steps and technologies are involved in bringing that yummy to your tummy. Here are 7 facts about chocolate's journey from tree to heart box. Chocolate comes from fruits called pods that grow on cacao trees. Farmers grow these trees in hot, rainy regions, primarily near the equator. It tends to take about five years before a seedling has matured enough to produce these pods, reaching its peak pod production at about age 10. Even in what we humans call mid-life, age 30 to 40, cacao trees may be producing pods still. Each of the football-size pods can contain some 50 cacao beans. It takes four cacao seeds to make an ounce of milk chocolate, and 12 seeds to make an ounce of dark chocolate. Once these beans get roasted and de-shelled, they are heated to high temperatures, resulting in a thick paste called chocolate liquor. Next, manufacturers blend the chocolate liquor with sugar and milk, depending on the type of chocolate they are making, to add flavor. The FDA has established standards for different kinds of chocolate, according to the Institute of Food Technologists, a nonprofit scientific society: - Milk chocolate must contain 10 percent chocolate liquor, along with its dream (or other dairy products) and sugar. - Dark, bittersweet or semisweet chocolate must contain at least 35 percent chocolate liquor. - White chocolate contains no chocolate liquor, but instead consists of cacao butter, sugar, dairy products, and flavorings; it must contain at least 20 percent cacao butter and no more than 55 percent sugar. Once that chocolate gets packaged up, it heads for places like the United States and Switzerland. Every year, Americans enjoy nearly 12 pounds of chocolate, buying more of the sugary treat on Valentine's Day than any other day. If that doesn't sound like a lot, you may be Swiss; turns out, the Swiss treat themselves to more than 22 pounds of chocolate a year, according to 2007 numbers from the American Sugar Alliance. Europe is full of chocolate lovers. In fact, as far back as the late 1700s, those who lived in Madrid, Spain, enjoyed nearly 12 million pounds of chocolate every year. Today, 15 of the 16 leading chocolate-consuming countries (per capita) are in Europe, according to the California Academy of Sciences (CAS). That bar of chocolate may do the heart good. For instance, a study published in 2010 in the European Heart Journal, in which researchers followed more than 19,000 adults between 35 and 65 for at least 10 years, found those who ate chocolate had lower blood pressure and a 39 percent lower risk of having a heart attack or stroke compared with those who ate the least amount of chocolate. [The Health Benefits of Chocolate] As for whether that chocolate will boost your libido this Valentine's Day, the jury is out. Scientists have no proof of this seeming folklore. As long ago as A.D. 1000, chocolate drinks were exchanged at weddings in southern Mexico and parts of Central America, according to CAS. Legend has it that Casanova ate the sweet treat to improve his love-making, and Marquis de Sade was so passionate about it, he had his wife send it to him while he was in prison, according to CAS.
1.1 2.1 3.1 3.2 3.3 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.1 5.2 6.1 6.2 6.3 7.1 8.1 9.1 10.1 10.2 11.1 12.1 13.1 13.2 13.3
Sedam slatkih činjenica o čokoladi Donosimo vam sedam zanimljivih činjenica o čokoladnom putu od drveta usred prašume do čokoladnog srca kojeg poklanjate voljenoj osobi za Valentinovo Čokoladna su srca već dugo vremena jedan od klasičnih poklona za Valentinovo. Iako je čokolada u današnje vrijeme dostupna u svakom kutku naše planete, nekoć je bila rezervirana isključivo za nježna kraljevska nepca. Donosimo vam sedam zanimljivih činjenica o čokoladnom putu od drveta do vaše trgovine. Čokolada se dobiva miješanjem kakaove mase s određenom količinom šećera. Kakaova se masa dobiva iz ploda kakaovca, biljke koja raste duboko u tropskim šumama i prašumama Amerike. Stabla kakaovca počinju davati prve plodove tek nakon pet godina, a najveće prinose daju sa deset godina starosti. Plodovi oblika i veličine lopte za američki nogomet u sebi prosječno sadrže pedesetak kakaovih zrna. Za proizvodnju 30 grama mliječne čokolade trebaju nam četiri zrna, a za istu količinu tamne čokolade treba nam 12 zrna. Nakon što se izvade iz plodova, zrna se prže i uklanjaju im se ljuske, nakon čega se opet griju na visokim temperaturama, zbog čega se pretvaraju u gustu kakao pastu. Nakon toga se pasti dodaju šećer i mlijeko, ovisno o tome kakvu čokoladu želimo napraviti. Američki FDA postavio je standarde za različite vrste čokolade: Mliječna čokolada mora sadržavati 10 posto kakao paste Tamna čokolada mora sadržavati barem 35 posto kakao paste Bijela čokolada u sebi ne sadrži kakao, ali mora sadržavati minimalno 20 posto kakao maslaca i ne više od 55 posto šećera Kad se smjese ohlade i zapakiraju, šalju se u različite države, poput Švicarske, gdje se onda dorađuju, obogaćuju i spremaju za konačnu prodaju. Prosječni Amerikanac godišnje pojede oko 5,5 kilograma čokolade, dok prosječni Švicarac pojede gotovo 10 kilograma. Čokolada se najviše jede u Europi, a ta navika potječe iz ranog 18. stoljeća, kad su mnogi Europljani uživali u ovoj tek otkrivenoj poslastici Novog svijeta. 15 od 16 danas vodećih zemalja svijeta po konzumaciji čokolade nalaze se u Europi. Nekoliko je nedavnih studija pokazalo kako umjerena konzumacija čokolade, posebice one kvalitetnije (veći udio kakaa), ima pozitivan učinak na zdravlje srca i krvnih žila, a smanjuje i rizik srčanog i moždano udara za visokih 39 posto. Znanstvenici se još uvijek ne mogu dogovoriti je li čokolada afrodizijak ili nije. I dok se oni svađaju, narodi s područja Meksika i Srednje Amerike konzumiraju čokoladna pića u te svrhe već tisuću godina. Legenda kaže i da je slavni Casanova jeo čokoladne slatkiše kako bi poboljšao svoje ljubavničke sposobnosti, a Markiz de Sade je bio tako strastveni čokoladoljubac da mu je supruga krijumčarila čokoladice dok je bio u zatvoru.