Chocolate is everywhere, whether you’re giving it to someone or eating it yourself, there are many great ways to enjoy it. There are different types of chocolate to enjoy, such as dark, milk, and white chocolate. You can also add other ingredients to your chocolate such as caramel, nuts, or espresso. Many people enjoy chocolate in different forms whether it’s in a bar, with milk, or on top of a dessert. Chocolate is also used as a gift for celebrations and holidays. 

Chocolate is originally from Mexico and was discovered 5,300 years ago. According to Chocolate’s Sweet History website, “Archaeologists have discovered the earliest traces of cacao in pottery used by the ancient Mayo-Chinchipe culture 5,300 years ago in the upper Amazon region of Ecuador.”

 Chocolate grows on the cacao tree. The first people to make chocolate were the Olmec, who used chocolate to drink during rituals and used it as medicine. Chocolate was also used as an offering to gods. 

It takes 400 beans to make one pound of chocolate. The Theobroma cacao tree produces 2,500 beans each season. Farmers also have to wait four to five years before the tree is mature enough to produce fruit. 

Chocolate has such a big impact on the world that there is even a Hershey theme park that you can visit in Pennsylvania. Once there, you are able to see how chocolate is made with their tour and get some chocolate to take home with you. A roller coaster you can check out is the Candymonium, which is the tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster at Hershey park. It is chocolate themed and has twists and turns on every corner. 

Chocolate isn’t only given out to little kids on Halloween, but it is also used for fundraisers in schools. Chocolate is sold in schools typically for $1 to students and teachers so that they are able to raise money for an event coming up, or their club or sport.

Chocolate is all around us, whether you are giving it to someone you love or eating it all by yourself, it has been around us all of our lives and will continue to expand.