Why Chocolate Remains the Unsung Cupid of Love

    LONDON, ENGLAND, April 30, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Even though there are umpteen brands and wonderful packaging at the nearby Tesco, Mark prefers specially-made chocolates to give to his girlfriend. "Forget the flowers and my girlfriend might still forgive me... but if I were to forget her special chocolates on our special days, then I know I'm getting in deep trouble," quips Mark.

And it's not just teenagers like Mark who seek out chocolates for their fair maidens. Statistics show that chocolate sales skyrocket during festive seasons, with Christmas and Easter being the biggest dates on the chocolate manufacturers' calendars, big and small. The Nielsen survey confirms that this year, most people in the US preferred to give chocolates over any other sweets or candies. Nearly 300 million pounds worth of chocolate was expected to have been sold worldwide over the Valentine's Day weekend this year alone.

The gift of chocolate has become the universal symbol of showering love and affection on someone. Giving chocolate somehow seems an acceptable and approved gift for just about any age group: "I have people getting boxes of handmade chocolates for their parents on Valentine's Day," says Jenna Westwood, who runs her own chocolate boutique in East Croydon.

So the big question often asked is how has chocolate become the unsung cupid of love? The answer could lie in the different chemicals that are present in the chocolate itself. They have been found to contain endorphines, that when released into the bloodstream act as mood elevators, often also invoking the sensations associated with what we perceive as falling in love. A new book called 'Why Women Need Chocolate' presents a survey on the cravings expressed by women. Not surprisingly, 68% said they craved chocolate, while fifty percent among them would choose chocolate over sex. The study also concluded that 22% more women were likely to choose chocolate as mood elevators than men. These could be instant fact files to assess how chocolate affects our system.

Translate that into daily living, and you see no Valentine's Day celebrations or Mother's Day treat complete without a slice of a sinfully rich chocolate cheesecake or the best chocolate from Belgium especially handmade for the occasion. After all, the theobromine and the endomorphines released into your body by your favourite chocolate make the world seem a brighter place for you and your loved ones.

Forman & Field is a fine food mail order company specialising in fresh, traditional British produce from small, independent producers. We share our premises in East London with our parent company, H. Forman & Son, a 100 year old family business supplying smoked salmon, caviar and other smoked and fresh fish to the world's leading hotels and finest restaurants.
Website: http://www.formanandfield.com/

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