Valentine’s Day

 


Treat yourself to some chocolate covered strawberries on Valentine's Day.  Chocolate is considered to be an aphrodisiac since the time of the Aztecs. European royalty gave chocolate mixed with amber to their lovers to stimulate their love. Scientific studies have shown that chocolates release brain soothing chemicals which increase energy, desire levels and produce a natural high to elevate one's mood.

Chocolate strawberries were created in the 1960’s, when Lorraine Lorusso, who worked in a small gourmet store in Chicago, called the Stop n’ Shop dipped fresh strawberries in chocolate, allowed them to harden and sold them to customers. They were an instant success. The combination of chocolate and strawberry is still popular today and tops the list of romantic foods associated with Valentine’s Day.

The history of Valentine’s Day chocolates:

In the 1800s, Richard Cadbury was looking for a way to utilize cocoa butter that was extracted during the making of chocolate liquor. He figured out how to make chocolate bars that tasted good and were inexpensive. Previously, chocolate was expensive to purchase and only the elite classes were able to buy it. His next creation was to produce beautiful boxes for chocolates with cupids and roses, these became very popular among Victorians and changed Valentine’s Day forever. 

In the US in the early 1900’s Valentine’s Day was starting to gain popularity. Milton Hershey started the commercial production of ‘kisses’, drop sized chocolates, in 1907. Russell Stover however, linked chocolate with romance forever with the introduction of the heart-shaped box of chocolates. Stover, along with her husband, started selling chocolates wrapped in heart-shaped boxes in 1923. Their ‘Secret Lace Heart', chocolates in a box covered in satin and black lace, was their biggest success. 


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