Chocolate: Food of the gods

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	Alomost everyone like chocolate. Certainly, its charming taste; smooth and creamy, is the most important factor. Chocolate is always used for a gift presenting one sense to others in many occasions, especially in Valentine's day. Do you know where it comes from? Why it is named “Food of gods” ? Besides the taste, what else?
Back to the Aztecs, during Emperor Montezuma's reign, cacao beans were so valuable in widespread used. Real chocolate is a cacao paste made from cacao seeds. It was being served as beverage at frist time and believed to impart wisdom, provide great energy and aphrodisiacal powers. Chocolate became a popular drink in Europe after the journey of a spanish explorer “Hernando Cortez”. He went to Latin America and was greeted by Emperor Montezuma. The Emperor gave him many things ;gold, silver and also cacao. When he returned to Spain, The great taste of chocolate was first appeared here when the Spaniards added hot water, sugar, vanilla and chinamon. After that chocolate has been well-know until now. Not long time later, the Swiss made the most refinements to cacao, creating the processing system still used today. Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist, christened the chocolate plant “Theobroma cacao”, Latin for “Food of the gods”
Cacao is the small tree originated in tropical rainforests especially in Brazil, Venezuela, Ghana and naturally lives for up to 100 years but for economically productive for about 60 years. Its fruit called “cacao pod” are producted all-year-round. Cacao pod is huge, usually 5-12 inches large and 3-5 inches wide. Each fruit contains abut 30-40 seeds. Harvesting time should not be overlooked because this will effect the flavor. Cacao pod should be harvested only when ripe, although it will not open and lose its seeds when overripe.
Not only high energy, chocolate is also a high nutritional food. Besides carbohydrates, it contains magnesium, calcium, vitamins A, B,D, potassium ,sodium and other substances such as Catechins, Anandamide, too. Someone recommend eating chocolate when feeling bad because when you eat chocolate, Endophins will be realeased by the brain and this will elevate your mood and reduce pain. Obviously, eating too much of any food can cause of health problems.