巧克力是广受喜爱的美食，世界上甚至有专门纪念巧克力的节日。关于巧克力，你了解多少呢？

1. 7月7日是世界巧克力日

July 7 is World Chocolate Day, a nod to when chocolate was said to have been first brought to Europe on July 7, 1550.

7月7日是世界巧克力日，据说这个节日是为了纪念1550年7月7日巧克力第一次被带到欧洲。

2. 白巧克力不是巧克力

Because it doesn't contain cocoa solids or chocolate liquor, white chocolate isn't chocolate in the strict sense. But it does contain parts of the cacao bean—mainly cocoa butter.

从严格意义上来说，白巧克力不算巧克力，因为白巧克力不含固体可可，也不含可可浆。不过白巧克力中确实有可可豆的成分，主要是可可脂。

3. 可可豆曾被当作货币使用

The Aztecs loved and valued the cacao bean so highly that they used it as currency during the height of their civilization.

阿兹特克人非常喜爱和重视可可豆，在阿兹特克文明高峰期曾将可可豆当作货币来使用。

4. 英国糖果商发明了固态巧克力

The J.S. Fry & Sons shop concocted what they called “eating chocolate” in 1847 by combining cocoa butter, sugar, and chocolate liquor. This was a grainy, solid form of the treat.

1847年英国巧克力制造商J.S. Fry & Sons用可可脂、糖和可可浆调制出了“可以吃的巧克力”。这是一种颗粒状的固态甜食。

5. 吉百利公司发明了心形巧克力盒

If you ever needed to pick up a last-minute Valentine's Day gift from a gas station, now you know whom to thank.

如果你曾经在最后一刻从加油站买过情人节礼物，现在你知道应该感谢谁了。

6. 传说拿破仑很爱吃巧克力

The popular story is that Napoleon was known to carry chocolate with him on military campaigns for an energy boost.

有一个广为流传的故事，就是拿破仑在打仗时随身携带巧克力来提神。

7. 牛奶巧克力是在瑞士发明的

Daniel Peter created the tasty treat in 1875—after eight years of trying to make his recipe work. Condensed milk ended up being the key ingredient.

在尝试了八年之后，丹尼尔·皮特终于在1875年发明了美味的牛奶巧克力。他的最终配方的关键原料是炼乳。

8. 大多数可可豆产自非洲

Despite its Amazonian roots, most cacao—nearly 70 percent of the world’s supply—comes from Africa. Côte d'Ivoire is the largest single producer, providing about 30 percent of all the world’s cacao.

尽管可可豆源于亚马逊河流域，但世界上的多数可可豆（近70%）都产自非洲。科特迪瓦是最大的可可豆生产国，供应了全球约30%的可可豆。

9. 可可树寿命可达100年

That may sound impressive, but the tropical beauties only make viable cacao beans for just 25 years of their lifespan.

可可树的寿命也许听起来很惊人，但是这种热带植物只有25年可以出产可可豆。

10. 巧克力的熔点比较特殊

According to the Library of Congress, chocolate has a melting point between 86°F and 90°F, which is just below the human body temperature. That’s why your favorite candy bar will melt in your hands if you don't eat it fast enough.

美国国会图书馆的资料显示，巧克力的熔点在86到90华氏度（30到32摄氏度）之间，比人的体温还要低一点。这就是为什么如果你吃得不够快，你最爱的巧克力棒就会在你的手中熔化。

整理来源：中国日报网双语点津