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World Chocolate Day 2024: Every year, the special occasion of World Chocolate Day is celebrated across the globe to highlight the evolution of chocolates. Although there are different dates for observing local, national and international chocolate days, World Chocolate Day was first observed in 2009. Chocolates are a sweet delicacy that is included in numerous happy ceremonies and are relished with great joy and enthusiasm.

World Chocolate Day was established in honour of the day when the first chocolate bar opened in Europe in 1550. Since then, the occasion has been celebrated with great enthusiasm across the globe. As this special day is here, we have listed some interesting facts about chocolates that you might be aware of. 

World Chocolate Day 2024 (Image Credits: Canva)

Fun Facts About Chocolates

Chocolate contains two doses of cocoa butter, the natural amount from the bean, plus an extra dollop to bump up creaminess.

Cacao percentage determines the amount of cocoa bean products by weight in a chocolate.

Worldwide, 40 million to 50 million people depend upon cocoa for their livelihood.

Spanish royalty gave cakes of cacao in their dowries.

There are an estimated 1.5 million cocoa farms in West Africa.

Most cocoa–70 per cent–hails from West Africa.

Chocolate comes from a fruit tree; it’s made from a seed.

Theobroma Cacao is the tree that produces cocoa beans, and it means “food of the gods.” Carolus Linnaeus, the father of plant taxonomy, named it.

It takes 400 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate.

Each cacao tree produces approximately 2,500 beans.

World Chocolate Day 2024 (Image Credits: Canva)

Cacao leaves can move 90 degrees, from horizontal to vertical, to get sun and to protect younger leaves.

Some cacao trees are more than 200 years old, but most give marketable cocoa beans for only the first 25 years.

The price of cocoa can fluctuate daily–affecting farmers’ incomes.

Cacao beans were so valuable to early Mesoamericans that they were used as currency.

The average West African cocoa family has eight members.