There's more to chocolate than Easter eggs and children's treats[GETTY] The British chocolate market is worth billions of pounds every year but the nation’s favourite treat is

often regarded as little more than a snack for kids or a guilty pleasure for adults. The reality is that chocolate has a history spanning thousands of years and a whole community of

aficionados whose enthusiasm and intellectual rigour rivals that of the world’s most committed wine tasters.  As people around Britain prepare to tuck into their Easter eggs this weekend

there is more to chocolate than you might think. CHOCO FACTS * Belgians are renowned as masters of the art of chocolate but there’s actually nothing special about what they produce. The

technically chocolate at all because it does not contain any cocoa solids. The bars are made from cocoa butter, milk powder, sugar and vegetable fat and therefore do not meet the criteria

for being technically defined as chocolate. * Contrary to popular belief chocolate is neither an aphrodisiac nor a particularly powerful stimulant.  A cup of coffee contains three times as

much caffeine as a bar of chocolate and there is no evidence that it can help out in the bedroom. However chocolate does contain mood-lifting chemicals. These are normally released in the

brain when we’re feeling happy but eating chocolate can boost their levels and make you feel happier. Chief among these chemicals is serotonin, a lack of which is often linked to depression.

Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche in the film Chocolat [REX] * Eating chocolate in moderation can even be good for you. Chocolate is a source of magnesium, copper, iron and zinc all of which

have been linked to decreasing the risk of heart disease.  Sadly if you eat too much the benefits are far outweighed by the damage caused and there is still no medical justification for

embarking on a chocolate diet, no matter how many Easter eggs you have left over next week. > Chocolate is a source of magnesium, copper, iron and zinc all of > which have been linked 

to decreasing the risk of heart disease * The well-known health problems brought on by excessive chocolate consumption led to a German called Karl-Friedrich Lentze trying to sue the Easter

bunny in 2006.  He accused the bunny of causing chocolate addiction leading to heart attacks, obesity and strokes. He said at the time that he wanted authorities to “find this evil bunny,

handcuff his paws and remove him from shops in time for Easter”.  The lawsuit was perhaps not entirely serious. Lentze is an artist renowned for his tongue-in-cheek antics and once invented

a device capable of straightening bananas because he found the curved shape inconvenient. * One serious invention which owes its existence to chocolate is the microwave oven.  Percy Spencer,

an American engineer, was touring one of his laboratories when he stopped in front of some radar apparatus.  The apparatus melted a bar of chocolate he had in his pocket and after

discovering the link he went on to patent the microwave oven in 1945. HISTORY * The Easter eggs currently lining shelves would be unrecognisable to the original discoverers of chocolate. Not

content with merely inventing calendars, bloodletting and human sacrifice, the people of the pre-Aztec Olmec civilisation in Mexico were also the first to enjoy chocolate, consuming it as a

drink 2,600 years ago. * The costly drink proved deadly for Aztec emperor Montezuma. When he first saw Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés he was convinced he was a god and lavished gifts on

him including expensive cacao beans. His subjects were so enraged by the largesse that they overthrew their ruler. * Cortés brought chocolate to Europe and it reached Britain in the

mid-17th century where its fabled health benefits and mood enhancing properties made it a favourite of medics, the preferred profession of Quakers. They approved of chocolate – only

available as a drink – because it didn’t require mixing with alcohol to be enjoyed. * Pioneering chocolate producing Quakers such as George Cadbury, Joseph Rowntree and Joseph Storrs Fry are

still instantly recognisable thanks to the chocolate bars and confectionary companies that still bear their names. * In 1847 it was Fry who made the biggest breakthrough in chocolate since

its discovery two and a half millennia before when he invented the first modern chocolate bar. He discovered that blending powdered cocoa with cocoa butter and sugar formed a mouldable paste

which could be eaten without being dissolved in milk or water first. * Twenty eight years later a Swiss chocolate maker called Daniel Peter built on Fry’s revolutionary creation by

inventing milk chocolate.  While Mr Peter’s name isn’t instantly recognisable from the products on today’s supermarket shelves, that of his head chemist certainly is.  Henri Nestlé was

searching for a recipe for formula milk to help mothers who were unable to breastfeed when he came up with the recipe for the powdered milk that Peter used to create his new hocolate.

TASTING * For true connoisseurs, eating chocolate is like tasting a fine wine. With more than 400 fl avour compounds serious tasters have to engage all of their senses to get the most out of

every bite and they strive to be as knowledgeable about the raw ingredients and production methods behind the bars as wine lovers are about what goes into making their favourite drink. *

Aficionados pay attention to different cacao beans in the same way as wine lovers study the different grapes. While there are myriad varieties of grape there are only three main types of

cacao bean. These are the Forastero, the Trinitario and the Criollo of which the Criollo is the most expensive, making its way into only the very best chocolate bars. * The look and sound of

the bar are crucial. A glossy appearance and the chocolate making a snapping sound when it is broken show that the ingredients are spread evenly throughout the chocolate. If they are not

evenly spread then the chocolate becomes crumbly and loses the irresistible melt-in-the-mouth feel. * The smell is vital in establishing the taste of the chocolate. Smell and taste are

closely linked and serious chocolate lovers will tell you that it is impossible to properly appreciate the flavour of chocolate without first enjoying its smell. Chocolate’s key smells

include smoke, flowers and nuts as well as toffee. * The feel and taste of the chocolate comes last. Chocolate should melt at mouth temperature meaning that if it’s a well produced bar it

will feel smooth and even as it melts on the tongue. Common flavours to look out for if you are truly intent on taking your chocolate seriously include flowers, fruit, spice, wine and smoke.

_THE BLUFFER’S GUIDE TO CHOCOLATE BY NEIL DAVEY (BLUFFERS GUIDE LIMITED, RRP £6.99) IS AVAILABLE AT £6.99 WITH FREE P&P. TO ORDER YOUR COPY CALL 0871 988 8451 OR VISIT

EXPRESSBOOKS.CO.UK. YOU CAN ALSO SEND A CHEQUE OR PO (PAYABLE TO THE EXPRESS) TO: THE EXPRESS ORDERS DEPT, 1 BROADLAND BUSINESS PARK, NORWICH NR7 0WF._