More than 35 million chocolate boxes are sold each year making this gift the ultimate symbol of love.

Chocolate sales soar in February But when did chocolate become the penultimate Valentine’s Day gift? And how did cocoa beans grow into the symbol of love?

Chocolate. Dark, white, milk. Pralines, truffles or mint..Whatever form it takes, its creamy dark goodness is virtually synonymous with Valentines Day. Packaged up in those shiny red, heart-shaped chocolate boxes, it all but yells, “I love you.” But where did the association between the two start?

The cacao bean was introduced to Europe in the 16th century, when it became an instant favorite with the Spanish court.They added sugar and other flavorings to sweeten their cocoa drinks It was a favorite with the nobility and the people who could afford it, and the taste soon spread to England and then to the rest of Europe. A milk chocolate was created in Jamaica, which was originally used for medicinal purposes, but quickly became a well loved drink.

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People have been eating chocolate in one way or another for more than three thousand years. Many of the peoples of South America have been making chocolate beverages throughout history, though today’s chocolate lover might shy away from the bitterness. Pure cacao beans are extremely bitter, and first they must be dried, cleaned and roasted to create cacao nips. Then the nibs are ground down and made into a liquid, which gives pure chocolate liquor, which could be fermented into an alcohol.

In the late 1600s chocolate emporiums opened across Europe and the first solid versions arrived, in cakes and eventually in candies and other sweets.

Chocolate was gaining popularity not only for its decadence, but also for its reputed aphrodisiac properties. , We now know that chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a naturally occurring amino-acid – the same one that humans release when we are fall in love. Chocolate also contains tryptophan, a building block of serotonin, which is one of the brain chemicals involved in sexual arousal. No wonder eating chocolate feels so good.! And with researchers now touting the heart-healthy benefits of eating dark chocolate in particular, what’s not to love?

Why should we be surprised that chocolate has become, indeed remains- an edible symbol of love whether for a partner, parent or friend? Chocolate makers capitalised on this association some time ago. Richard Cadbury of England was one of the first. He designed and sold the first heart shaped chocolate boxes in the 1860s. At the turn of the century, an American, Whitman improved on this immeasurably with a little map in the box describing each piece of chocolate, a fantastic idea, so simple it remains one of the best ways of identifying those luscious sweets.

The introduction of those first Cadbury heart-shaped chocolate boxes has created more than a centuries old tradition of sharing chocolate with your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day. Click Here for the Best Chocolate Boxes for Valentines Day,Ever !

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