Happy Valentines Day!
When you think of Valentine’s Day, what images appear in your mind? Red roses and cutesy cards? Maybe, but I bet above all you think of chocolate. Big boxes of pralines wrapped in ribbons, gilded bonbons and nutty nougats, and even tall towers of gooey chocolate fondue. But why does chocolate hold such a special place in the language of love? How did our modern obsession begin? Let’s dive into chocolate’s fascinating history and learn why we associate a cocoa bean with romance.
The Scientific Explanation
First, the scientific explanation. Chocolate is famously known as an aphrodisiac, meaning that when you eat it, the brain receives hormonal feelings of pleasure and desire. This is because, during the chocolate-making process when the cocoa beans are fermented, two important compounds are released: phenylethylamine (AKA, the “love drug”) and tryptophan. When eaten, these compounds cause your blood vessels to dilate, which reduces your stress levels, and your heart rate and blood pressure to spike, which releases the hormones dopamine and serotonin which make you feel happier. All of these chemical reactions mimic the excitement and glow you feel when you are with a romantic partner, which creates a strong psychological link to love. Tryptophan is also released into your brain when you feel attracted towards someone, which cements that connection even further!
The History of Love & Chocolate
The history of the connection between love and chocolate begins with the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations, located in present-day Mexico and Central America. Historians have found evidence that during Mayan wedding ceremonies, the happy couple would exchange sips of chocolate to symbolize unity. A few hundred years later, the last Aztec Emperor Montezuma would drink fifty cups of bitter chocolate to romantically energize himself before visiting his many wives (this is according to legend, of course, but the Aztecs did use cocoa beans for currency, showing how highly chocolate was valued).
Unfortunately for Montezuma, the Spanish conquistadors turned up during his reign, and he ended up held hostage and dying in mysterious circumstances. But fortunately for Europeans, the Spanish returned home with cocoa beans! After sweetening the bitter drink with sugar, vanilla, and honey, chocolate quickly became a major and majorly expensive status symbol for the nobility, its precious nature meaning it continued its romantic associations – only the wealthy could afford such a pricy and pleasurable gift. By the 1600’s the French royal court at Versailles started employing royal chocolatiers, and by the 1700’s the romantic legend Cassanova himself was calling chocolate the “elixir of love.”
But just like so many of our traditions today, our modern conception of love and chocolate came from the Victorians. In the 1860s, British chocolatier Richard Cadbury (yes, that Cadbury) began selling heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, lined with silk and decorated with pictures of cupids and roses. These beautiful boxes were kept long after the chocolate was eaten, used to store tokens of affection like love letters and pressed flowers. American chocolatiers quickly followed Cadbury’s lead, and in 1907 Milton Hershey introduced Hershey’s milk chocolate kisses, which remain a popular treat for Valentine’s Day.
Richard Cadbury
Conclusion
Nowadays, Valentine’s Day isn’t just about romance, with the modern tradition of Palentine’s Day showing that, at its core, February 14th is all about spending time with the important people in your life. But whoever you’re sharing a delicious chocolately treat with, chocolate remains a special way to share something special with someone you care about.
And guess what? First Grade International offers a wide range of chocolate products for all your big baking needs. Browse our portfolio below and discover our chocolate buttons and blossoms, chips and chunks, milk top flakes and vermicelli sprinkles.