10 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE

Easter Sunday 

is traditionally a day where lots of chocolate is consumed around the world, 

mainly in the form of chocolate eggs or bunnies! I can assure you that I will be 

eating my fair share this Easter, 

after all I must "uphold" this Easter tradition!

Here are 10 fun facts about Chocolate that you 
may not know:

Fact 1:

People spend more than 7 billion dollars a year on chocolate.

Fact 2:

Chocolate does not cause or aggravate acne, this is a myth.

Fact 3:

Dark chocolate is most popular among men.

Fact 4:

The largest chocolate bar ever manufactured was in Italy in 2000 and the bar had a

 weight of 2268 kilograms.

Fact 5:

More than twice as many women than men eat and crave chocolate.

Fact 6:

The first chocolate bar was produced by Cadbury in England in 1842.

Fact 7:

The word Chocolate comes from the Aztec word xocolatl, meaning, bitter water.

Fact 8:

71% of American chocolate eaters prefer milk chocolate.

Fact 9:

Chocolate makers use 40% of the world's almonds and 20% of the world's peanuts.

Fact 10:

Nestle introduced Chocolate Chips in 1939

Enjoy!

SOURCE

THE DEMISE OF CADBURYS CHOCOLATE COINS

Cancel Christmas... Cadbury calls time on chocolate coins

Cadbury has decided to stop making chocolate coins - a Christmas favourite for many.Photo: Cadbury

Cadbury has decided to stop producing chocolate coins, prompting some distraught fans to declare that Christmas should be cancelled as a result.

A spokesman for the now US-owned company said that wrapping gold foil around a circular piece of chocolate was "fiddly" and that it was purely a commercial decision.

"We are sorry to see the coins go, but that's business," the spokesman told the Daily Telegraph.

I came across the article above and for all those that grew up with Cadburys Chocolate Coins will understand the sadness that I feel upon reading this.A bag of Cadburys coins was always a given at Christmas..in fact it's was a tradition, as every year my sisters and I all received a bag, and the dairy milk chocolate somehow tasted better and more special wrapped in the gold and silver foil. Perhaps they were sprinkled with that childhood "Christmas magic" but I for one remember with fondness many Christmas mornings waking to presents and always a string bag of chocolate treasures. 

"RIP my friends,your taste and the happy memories will linger on forever".

CHOCOLATE MEMORIES

I came across Chocolate Memories whilst visiting the Decorex Durban recently and even though I profess to be a chocoholic I hadn't heard of them, but like many good success stories, a passion and desire for a change of lifestyle resulted in the creation of something sweet!

It was started by husband and wife team Tammy & Edi who started the business after leaving their careers behind in search of a quiet,simple life. They moved into a tiny mountain cottage in the foothills of Champagne Valley in the Central Drakensberg and started making chocolate.

Learning to make chocolate was not without its challenges, but after some time they perfected the art and started to make chocolate bars that are etched with the surrounding mountains.

          These artisan chocolates are made using only the finest ingredients - pure cocoa butter & natural                                                                           bourbon vanilla. No modified fats or palm oil are used!

The slabs of chocolate are hand wrapped in gold foil and rustic brown boxes which makes for a very reminiscent and refreshing form of presentation.

Simple packaging

Gold foil wrapped chocolate

I decided to buy and try the three types of chocolate below:

80gms Bar R40

1. The "Milk no added sugar" intrigued me, as all previous attempts of trying to find a decent slab of chocolate, that has had no sugar added, have failed miserably. Finally I have found not only a decent bar but a good bar!

2. Having a weakness in particular for "White" chocolate I was really impressed with Chocolate Memories version. It wasn't sickly sweet as white choc can often be and this was my "fave" of the three.

3. The slab of "Milk" was also a good smooth chocolate, with good taste. The exclusion of modified fats was evident, as you were not left with any fatty residue in your mouth, which is normally a tell tale sign of a poor quality chocolate.

They also make a "Dark 40%" and a "Dark 70%" and new varieties are in the pipeline.

My overall impression of this chocolate range is one of surprise, as it just goes to show that locally there are artisans that can produce, in this case a chocolate, that can hold its own amongst some of those Belgian and Swiss chocolatiers.

You can visit their website for more info and to order online

     www.chocolatememories.co.za     

MIDLANDS MEANDER (Part 4)

This is the fourth and final part,I promise to my Midlands Meander adventure! 
I didn't realise that I had so much to tell you...

The Sunday dawned, as another lovely sunny day and off we set on our final day doing the Midlands Meander.

First we headed for the Nelson Mandela Capture Site & Museum which was opened in August this year and is situated on the R103, the old main road 5km from Howick, This is where he was captured on his return journey to Johannesburg. This is a moment and place in the history of South Africa, which has enormous significance. The uMngeni Municipality purchased the property opposite the actual capture site and there you will find this multi-purpose heritage site.

                                               

Marking the 50-year anniversary of what began Nelson Mandela's "long walk to freedom" A 50 steel column constructions up to 9.5 metres tall was commissioned.The columns come into alignment to form a portrait of Nelson Mandela against a backdrop of rolling hills and valleys.

Definitely make a plan on your Midlands Meander to visit as it interesting!

After all that history I was in need of a chocolate fix! so off we went to Florentines Belgium Chocolate. I am not sure if this is part of the official meander, but Its always a pleasure to walk into this chocolate shop, as the cold air from the air conditioner hits you immediately. What a lovely feeling after being in the heat and sun of the day. 

Oh my! this is a "chocoholics" heaven....displays of handmade Belgian chocolates,truffles,pralines...how could I resist? 
You select your "sins" weigh and then pay, but beware that you don't go overboard otherwise your purse or even credit card will feel it!!

Champagne Truffle, Hazelnut choc, Pistachio creme
and I can't remember the other one but they were all
 Yummy!

Feeling quite content after a few "choccies" as I had to eat them all otherwise they would have melted in the car...so what else could I do? 

Next stop was Tsonga for some more "retail therapy".

Tsonga shoes are "home grown" in Kwa Zulu Natal and each pair of TSONGA shoes are hand-stitched by the local village craftswomen. They have a shop where you can buy their bags and shoes, but the prices are the same as in their shops that they have around the country,so don't expect factory prices!

After a busy morning we had some lunch and leisurely drove home and "back to reality" as the song goes...

I must say now... that not all of the crafters and stop offs are worthwhile, but it is all a matter of taste, so I advise you to buy the Midlands Meander booklet R5 and its available everywhere,so you can plan your day,route and visits carefully..otherwise you can waste precious time....a weekend away, as we did was ideal and we managed to combine what we wanted to visit and some R&R time. There is plenty of accommodation to choose from, to suit all tastes budgets, but even to do sections of the meander in a day trip also works, but either way.. I hope you enjoy your meandering around the Midlands!

To view part 1 click here 
To view part 2 click here
To view part 3 click here