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'''Chocolate''' is a foodstuff, originating from the [[cocoa bean]]. Chocolate is often used in desserts.

'''Chocolate''' is a foodstuff, originating from the [[cocoa bean]]. Chocolate is often used in desserts.

Chocolate originated in [[Mexico]] and was used by the Aztecs. A chocolate beverage called ''xocolatl'' (the Nahuatl source of the word ''cocoa'')  that was the precursor to hot chocolate, but bitter and stronger, was a popular drink among them.<ref>http://www.godivachocolates.co.uk/the-history-of-chocolate-mayans-aztecs.html</ref> [[Montezuma]] drank around 50 cups of this beverage a day, according to legend. Chocolate was spread to the [[Old World]] after [[Hernan Cortes]] conquered Mexico and traded cocoa beans to [[Europe]] in exchange for European goods as part of the [[Columbian exchange]]. The Spanish made it into the drink we know today, heating the drink and adding [[sugar]]. Soon, chocolate was extensively used in desserts and drinks. Women are stereotypically considered to be major consumers of sweetened chocolate.

Chocolate originated in [[Mexico]] and was used by the Aztecs. A chocolate beverage called ''xocolatl'' (the Nahuatl source of the word ''cocoa'')  that was the precursor to hot chocolate, but bitter and stronger, was a popular drink among them.<ref>http://www.godivachocolates.co.uk/the-history-of-chocolate-mayans-aztecs.html</ref> [[Montezuma]] drank around 50 cups of this beverage a day, according to legend. Chocolate was spread to the [[Old World]] after [[Hernan Cortes]] conquered Mexico and traded cocoa beans to [[Europe]] in exchange for European goods as part of the [[Columbian exchange]]. The Spanish made it into the drink we know today, heating the drink and adding [[sugar]]. Soon, chocolate was extensively used in desserts and drinks.  

Nowadays, chocolate is most often eaten in the form of candy bars or hot cocoa (although chocolate eggs and rabbits are often available for sale during [[Lent]] since they are eaten in celebration of  [[Easter]]). The top ten chocolate manufacturers in 2005 sold about US $42 billion in confectionary.<ref>[http://www.icco.org/about/chocolate.aspx The Chocolate Industry]</ref> There is a common belief that chocolate is bad for people's health and that it causes [[acne]]. In actuality, however, chocolate contains large amounts of healthy [[antioxidant]]s, and food is not a cause of acne.<ref>[http://www.acne-resource.org/acne-articles/chocolate-myth.html The Chocolate and Acne Myth]</ref> If eaten unsweetened, chocolate is generally believed to actually be healthy.  However, most admit that the addition of sugar to chocolate largely cancels out its benefits.

 

Nowadays, chocolate is most often eaten in the form of candy bars or hot cocoa (although chocolate eggs and rabbits are often available for sale during [[Lent]] since they are eaten in celebration of  [[Easter]]). The top ten chocolate manufacturers in 2005 sold about US $42 billion in confectionary.<ref>[http://www.icco.org/about/chocolate.aspx The Chocolate Industry]</ref> There is a common belief that chocolate is bad for people's health and that it causes [[acne]]. In actuality, however, chocolate contains large amounts of healthy [[antioxidant]]s, and food is not a cause of acne.<ref>[http://www.acne-resource.org/acne-articles/chocolate-myth.html The Chocolate and Acne Myth]</ref> If eaten unsweetened, chocolate is generally believed to actually be healthy.  However, most admit that the addition of sugar to chocolate largely cancels out its benefits. <br />

 

==References==

==References==