World Chocolate Day 2020: Why is World Chocolate Day celebrated?". The Times of India. 2020-07-07 . Retrieved 2020-07-08. In contrast to previous meta-analyses [ 9, 14], subgroup analyses in our larger meta-analysis suggested that there is a difference in outcome dependent on baseline blood pressure (hypertensive versus normotensive). While meta-analyses of the hypertensive subgroups found significant reductions (SBP: -5.0 ± 3.0 mmHg, P = 0.0009; DBP: -2.7 ± 2.2 mmHg, P = 0.01), analyses of normotensive subgroups did not demonstrate a significant reduction in blood pressure of flavanol-rich cocoa products (SBP: -1.6 ± 2.3 mmHg, P = 0.17; DBP: -1.3 ± 1.6 mmHg, P = 0.12). These findings are in line with meta-analyses of other nutritional supplements on blood pressure, which similarly found that blood pressure was significantly reduced in hypertensive subgroups but not in the normotensive subgroups [ 30, 45]. Schnepel, Ellen (Fall 2002). "Chocolate: From Bean to Bar". Gastronomica. 2 (4): 98–100. doi: 10.1525/gfc.2002.2.4.98.

Cacao pods grow in a wide range of colors, from pale yellow to bright green, all the way to dark purple or crimson. The skin can also vary greatly - some are sculpted with craters or warts, while others are completely smooth. This wide range in type of pods is unique to cacaos in that their color and texture does not necessarily determine the ripeness or taste of the beans inside. [5] Cream the butter and sugar together; I do this in a freestanding mixer, but you don’t have to. You just need to use a large bowl and make sure the mixture is soft and superlight.Spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate. Cinnamon, chili powder and dark chocolate turn this hot chocolate drink into something extra special. José de Acosta, a Spanish Jesuit missionary who lived in Peru and then Mexico in the later 16th century, described its use more generally:

Unroll and slice off 2 large pieces of clingfilm, overlapping them, so that you have a large cling-covered surface to roll the chocolate salame out on. Tip the chocolate mixture out in the middle of this and — using your hands, messy though this is — mould the mixture into a fat salame-like log, approx. 30cm long. Transfer it to a wooden board, and cut some slices, fanning them out as if they were indeed slices of salame, leaving a knife on the board, too, for people to cut further slices, as they wish. Obviously, when you cut the salame, you will cut through the string, but the many knots and twists keep it securely tied. Serve fridge cold, or very near to it. Mid-Afternoon: Maybe try to be a little healthier with chocolate-covered strawberries or raisins? Ok, maybe not that healthy but at least t contains fruit! Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés may have been the first European to encounter chocolate when he observed it in the court of Montezuma in 1519. [19] [20] In 1568, Bernal Díaz, who accompanied Cortés in the conquest of the Aztec Empire, wrote of this encounter which he witnessed:

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In 1729, the first mechanical cocoa grinder was invented in Bristol, England. Walter Churchman petitioned the king of England for patent and sole use of an invention for the “expeditious, fine and clean making of chocolate by an engine.” The patent was granted by King George II to Walter Churchman for a water engine used to make chocolate. Churchman probably used water-powered edge runners for preparing cacao beans by crushing on a far larger scale than previously. [31] [32] The patent for a chocolate refining process was later bought in 1761 by Joseph Fry who started the company that was to become J. S. Fry & Sons. [33] Heterogeneity was reduced satisfactorily in the normotensive subgroups, indicating that trials in these subgroup analyses are highly comparable and the meta-analyses results can be interpreted with confidence. In contrast, heterogeneity remained high in the hypertensive subgroups, influenced greatly by one relatively small study arm [ 13], which demonstrated a large blood pressure reduction not matched by the other trials. Therefore, effect sizes and levels of significance of the subgroup meta-analyses of trials with (pre-)hypertensive subjects at baseline should be interpreted more cautiously.

Selmi C, Cocchi CA, Lanfredini M, Keen CL, Gershwin ME. Chocolate at heart: the anti-inflammatory impact of cocoa flavanols. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2008; 52:1340–1348. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.200700435. [ PubMed] [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar]Subgroup meta-analysis of the effect of chocolate/cocoa on (A) systolic blood pressure of hypertensive subjects (≥ 140 mmHg at baseline) or (B) 'normotensive' subjects (< 140 mmHg at baseline) and on (C) diastolic blood pressure of (pre-)hypertensive subjects (≥ 80 mmHg) or (D) 'normotensive' subjects (< 80 mmHg). See Figure ​ Figure2 2 legend for abbreviation definitions. a b Molina, Fray Alonso de (1977). Vocabulario en Lengua Castellana y Mexicana y Mexicana y Castellana. Edicion Facsimile. Mexico: Editorial Porrua, S.A. p.10. Muniyappa R, Hall G, Kolodziej TL, Karne RJ, Crandon SK, Quon MJ. Cocoa consumption for 2 wk enhances insulin-mediated vasodilatation without improving blood pressure or insulin resistance in essential hypertension. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008; 88:1685–1696. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.26457. [ PMC free article] [ PubMed] [ CrossRef] [ Google Scholar]