Chocolate 101: Seven Facts You Mightn’t Know About The World’s Favourite Treat

Chocolate is delicious. That's the number one fact we all need to know about the stuff. It's really, really delicious in every single form.  But what else is there to know about this fantastic food? Did you know, for example, that white chocolate isn't actually chocolate? And that the chocolate river in Charlie and The Chocolate Factory really was made of chocolate? Or that an Irish man is credited with making the first ever drink of chocolate milk? We're pretty proud of him too. Here are seven chocolatey facts you mightn't have known about the world's favourite treat. 1. Don't feed your dog chocolate. Ever wondered why you were always warned not to give the dog chocolate under the table? It's because dogs can't break down and excrete the high amounts of fat and theobromine as efficiently as humans. As a result chocolate can be potentially fatal for your dog. The toxic levels of chocolate are lower for cats, but cats are also less likely to eat chocolate because they can't taste sweetness. 2. White chocolate isn't technically chocolate. White chocolate lovers, they've been lying to us all along! White chocolate doesn't contain cocoa solids or cocoa liquor which means it's not technically a chocolate. What does make up white chocolate? Milk, sugar, cocoa butter and vanilla. 3. Irish people really like chocolate.  The global chocolate industry is worth an eye-watering €100 billion. And sometimes it feels like we’re responsible for generating half of that amount. All joking aside, Irish people are very fond of chocolate. Official figures show that along with our friends in Switzerland, we're the biggest consumers of chocolate in the world. The average Irish person eats approximately 3.8 bars of chocolate per week. 4. Chocolate is actually the food of Gods... And don't let anyone tell you it isn't. The scientific name for the cocoa tree is Theobroma cacao, which when translated to English means ‘food of the Gods.’ We've been saying this for years, and now we've got the science to back it up. 5. The word chocolate can be traced all the way back to the Aztecs... In the 14th century. The ancient Mexican tribe called it 'xocoatl' and enjoyed it as a bitter, spicy drink made from cacao beans. The Aztec Emperor Montezuma II was said to drink 50 cups of chocolate a day. That's impressive stuff. 6. The sensation of chocolate melting in your mouth... Can create a better feeling than locking lips with someone. That's right, chocolate can give you a more intense mental high and get your heart beating faster than a kiss. Well, most kisses. 7. As part of her preparation for her role in Chocolat... Juliette Binoche went to a chocolate shop in Paris to learn how to make chocolates. Some of the chocolates she made were used in the festival scene. We need to re-watch this movie.   This article is brought to you by Galaxy®. To celebrate the launch of the new GALAXY® Caramel Collection, GALAXY® are offering the chance to win a €250 Designer shopping spree every day in May. To enter follow @Galaxy_ie on Twitter and  share your stylish snap with the tag #GalaxyStyle.