test your chocolate I.Q.!

~ jama

            
          
Yes, you love chocolate. 

But how much do you really know about it? 

Let’s play 20 Questions. Jot down your choices, then check the correct answers behind the cut.

1. What does the botanical name for the chocolate plant, theobramba cacao mean?

     a) cacao extract

     b) bean paste

     c) food of the gods

2. Who established the earliest cocoa plantations?

     a) Aztecs, 1000 B.C.

     b) Brazilians, 300 A.D.

     c) Mayans, 600 A.D.

3. How many chocolate bars will the average person consume in his lifetime?

     a) 5,000

     b) 10,000

     c) 20,000

4. Who consumes more chocolate per capita than any other nation on earth?

     a) Irish

     b) Swiss

     c) Americans

5. When was the first book on chocolate published?

     a) 1550

     b) 1609

     c) 1705

  6. Who is the largest producer of raw cocoa beans for commercial use?

     a) Venezuela

     b) Ghana

     c) Colombia

7. What is the number one selling candy bar in the U.S.?

     a) Almond Joy

     b) Hershey’s Milk Chocolate

     c) Snickers

8. When was chocolate first introduced to the U.S.?

     a) 1702

     b) 1765

     c) 1789

9. Who was the first European to encounter the cacao plant?

     a) Christopher Columbus

     b) Hernando Cortez

     c) John Cabot

10. Which is the only state in the U.S. that grows cacao beans to produce chocolate?

     a) Hawaii

     b) Florida

     c) California

11. Three English pioneers were responsible for establishing chocolate as a mass market business: John Cadbury, Joseph Fry, and Henry Rowntree. Aside from their work, what did all three men have in common?

     a) They had undertaken military service in Africa

     b) They personally disliked chocolate

     c) They were Quakers

12. Of the several varieties of cacao, which is prized for its superior flavor?

     a) Amelonado

     b) Forastero

     c) Criollo

13. How many chocolate chips in a 12-oz bag?

     a) 550

     b) 675

     c) 825

14. What does M&M stand for?

     a) Mars and Murrie

     b) Mars and Morgan

     c) Mars and Miller

15. What is the best-selling candy at theatre counters?

     a) Raisinettes

     b) M&M’s

     c) Hershey’s Kisses

16. Who owns Godiva?

     a) Campbell Soup Company

     b) General Foods

     c) Nestle 

17. What chocolatier was a millionaire by age 25?

     a) John Cadbury

     b) Forrest Mars, Jr.

     c) Milton Hershey

18. How many chemical compounds have been determined to be in chocolate?

     a) 600

     b) 800

     c) 1200

19. Who invented the Valentine’s Day heart-shaped chocolate box?

     a) Henri Nestle

     b) Etienne Guittard

     c) Richard Cadbury

20. Which of these famous lovers did not use chocolate as a means of seduction?

     a) Marquis de Sade

     b) Cassanova

     c) Don Juan

THE TRUTH ABOUT CHOCOLATE:

1. c
2. c
3. b
4. b, The Swiss have long held the title (22 lb/capita), but in 2005, Ireland tipped the scales with 24.7 lb/capita. Americans consume about 11 lb/capita.
5. b, It was called "Libro en el cual se trata del chocolate," published in Mexico
6. b
7. c
8. b, Cocoa beans were brought from the West Indies to Dorchester, MA
9. a, Columbus brought cacao beans back to Europe from Honduras on his 4th voyage, but didn’t realize its value. The first sparks of chocolate mania would not ignite until twenty years later, when Cortez brought 3 chests of beans back from Mexico (his intention was to trade the beans for Aztec gold).
10. a
11. c
12. c
13. b
14. a
15. a
16. a
17. c
18. c
19. c
20. c

SCORES:

15-20 — Chocolate Genius

10-15 — Chocolate Lover

5-10 — Good Try

less than 5 — Read the books listed below

  For every correct answer, reward yourself with a piece of chocolate!

For every incorrect answer, hug a child, friend, significant other, or co-worker. Share some of your new-found chocolate knowledge with them, and spread the love!

Chocolate Books:

1. Coe, Sophie and Michael. The True History of Chocolate (Thames and Hudson, 2007).

2. Fuller, Linda K. Chocolate Fads, Folklore and Fantasies (Haworth Press, 1994).

3. Rosenblum, Mort. Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light (Northpoint, 2006).

4. Doutre-Roussel, Chloe. The Chocolate Connoisseur (Penguin, 2006).

**So tell me, how did you do? 

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