Cabinnoids in chocolate responsible for chocolate highs

Christopher Columbus discovered the cocoa bean in the New World where local tribes had built a culture of worship around the holy bean, though it wasn't until Cortez discovered the monetary and nutritional value of chocolate, 17 years later that chocolate came to Europe.

The Aztecs brewed their own party drink that they called xocotlatl - a bitter-tasting drink made from roasted ground cocoa beans with peppery spices and hot peppers. Though not to the taste of Spanish conquerors, they were intrigued by the monetary value of the cocoa bean, which was used as payment for slaves and was thus known as the "gold of the New World."

The Spanish monks then enhanced the drink with sugar and vanilla with some describing the drink as delicious and nutritional and the clergy banning the drink as it was lust arousing.

The myths that chocolate caused pleasure were around even then and have lived on to this day.

The effects of chocolate have been studied extensively and it has been concluded that the brain treats chocolate as a drug with pharmacological actions occurring in the brain.

Chocolate contains cannabinoids, the compounds responsible for the high of marijuana, though the concentration is too low to cause an effect. The compounds which do have an effect are caffine, tyramine and tryptophan, which convert into feel-good chemicals dopamine and serotonin.

Today a number of different types of chocolate are available.

Cocoa powder: This unsweetened powder is pulverized, partially defatted chocolate liquor. Cocoa powder gives an intense chocolate taste and is available in "Dutch-processed" (alkalized) or natural varieties.

Unsweetened chocolate: Also known as "bitter" or "baking" chocolate. This is pure chocolate liquor, composed solely of ground cocoa beans. Although it looks and smells like chocolate, it has a bitter taste and is not meant for consumption on its own - it is best used in cooking, when it can be combined with sugar to make it more palatable.

Dark chocolate: Chocolate that contains chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla and leicithin (an emulsifier). There are no milk solids added in dark chocolate. The cocoa content of commercial dark chocolate bars can range from 30% (sweet dark) to 70- 80% for extremely dark bars. Bittersweet chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate also fall into the "dark chocolate" category.

Bittersweet chocolate: Chocolate contains at least 35% cocoa solids. Most bittersweet bars contain at least 50% chocolate liquor, with some bars pushing 70-80% chocolate liquor. This chocolate often has a deeper, more bitter flavour than sweet dark or semi-sweet bars.

Semi-sweet chocolate: This is primarily an American term, popularized by Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate chips. Semi-sweet chocolate contains at least 35% cocoa solids, and is generally assumed to be darker than sweet dark chocolate, but sweeter than bittersweet. However, the lack of regulations regarding sugar content means that these classifications are relative and not consistent across brands.

Sweet dark chocolate: is "dark chocolate" in the sense that it does not contain milk solids, but it still has a high percentage of sugar and is much sweeter than other types of dark chocolate. Many brands of sweet dark chocolate have only 20-40% cocoa solids.

Milk chocolate: In addition to containing cocoa butter and chocolate liquor, milk chocolate contains either condensed milk or dry milk solids. Milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor, 3.39% butterfat, and 12% milk solids. Milk chocolates are typically much sweeter than dark chocolate, and have a lighter colour and a less pronounced chocolate taste. Milk chocolate is more difficult to temper properly and more prone to overheating.

White chocolate: White chocolate gets its name from the cocoa butter it contains, but does not contain chocolate liquor or any other cocoa products. As a result, it has no pronounced chocolate taste, but commonly tastes like vanilla or other added flavourings. By law, white chocolate must contain a minimum 20% cocoa butter, 14% milk solids, and a maximum of 55% sugar.