Kirsten Tibballs, Founder of Savour School and commonly referred to as Australia’s Queen of Chocolate is
celebrating her school’s 20th anniversary. She is sharing some interesting facts about chocolate:
- The chocolate river in the classic 1971 film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, was made from 150,000 gallons or 681913.5 litres of water, chocolate and cream.
- It was Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII, who introduced chocolate to France.
- In 1661, the French medical establishment officially approved chocolate as medicine.
- White chocolate doesn’t contain any cocoa solids. Meaning white chocolate actually isn’t even really a chocolate!
- The Maya people firstly used cocoa beans as currency, which meant that money literally grew on trees.
- The Maya people learnt how to roast and grind cacao beans to make a nourishing, thick paste that could be dissolved in water. They would add spices and believed when consumed, it gave them good knowledge and judgement.
- Eating chocolate releases endorphins and replicates the feeling of being in love.
- It takes very few ingredients to make chocolate and the process is still very much the same as it was hundreds of years ago.
- Cocoa picking occurs when the pods are at an exact point of ripeness. This is judged by their colour and noise they make when lightly tapped. Pods can take up to six months to grow from the flower being pollinated.
- Spain controlled the supply of cocoa until late in the 17th century.
- In 1663, chocolate was prohibited in London during the prohibition. The ban lasted 150 years.
- All cocoa beans are grown 20° North or South of the equator.
- The smell of chocolate increases theta brain waves, which trigger relaxation. A study conducted at Hasselt University in Belgium showed that when the scent of chocolate was diffused in bookstores, sales of books increased — especially those of romance novels.
- Chocolate has an antibacterial effect on the mouth, as eating pure cocoa has been shown to prevent tooth decay.
- Chocolate contains more antioxidants than green tea, and dark chocolate contains the most antioxidants of all chocolate types.
- Switzerland is the highest consumer of chocolate in the world.
- Chocolate used to be considered to be an intoxicant and an aphrodisiac; it was deemed unsuitable for women and children, at least until the 14th century.
- Some people believed chocolate to be a love potion that could help women conceive and if consumed during pregnancy, hot chocolate could help ease labour and delivery.
- Over the past decade, various studies have indicated that cocoa and chocolate possess beneficial properties. Most notably, cocoa demonstrates significant benefits for the cardiovascular system, helping to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, high blood pressure, and cancer.
- Cocoa is rich in agents that enhance the production of various feel-good chemicals in the brain, notably serotonin and dopamine. This means that cocoa possesses anti-depressant and mood-elevating properties.
About Savour School
Australia’s sweetest Chef, Kirsten Tibballs is celebrating two decades at the helm of her world-renowned pastry and chocolate school, Savour. Turning 20 in late July, Savour School remains an international destination for the world’s best patissiers and chocolatiers.
Savour School has been based in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick since opening in July 2002. It is
now also home to a retail store that sells specialty equipment and ingredients which are shipped around
the world.
Savour Online Classes start from $12.95 per month and are available from: https://savourschool.com.au
Savour School: 22 Wilson Ave, Brunswick VIC 3056
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