Chocolate-covered love

Valentine's Day stimulates the chocolate lover in all of us

It is thought to stimulate romantic feelings and soothe the down and out.

Thomas Jefferson wanted everyone to drink it instead of coffee and tea because he thought it was healthier.

Chocolate.

Actually, it is the cacao plant that is involved in the bizarre history of the most universally enjoyed flavor, said Paul S. Dimick, professor of food science. Dimick is known as a 'chocolate specialist.'

Although research has been done on the possible link between chocolate and the sensation of falling in love, Dimick said most associations people have with chocolate stem from its history.

"It used to be named the food of the Gods," said Donna Courtney, assistant staff scientist for Hershey Foods Corp.

The cacao plant dates back to the Aztec Empire, when warriors would drink it before battles and wear the fruit on their uniforms, Dimick said.

Beyond that, the Aztecs actually sacrificed human life for the plant, pulling out a human heart before planting the cacao crops because the heart resembled the shape of the fruit.

"A lot of (the history) is not too pleasant to think about," Dimick said. "It was said that Montecuhzoma II would drink a lot of cocoa before going into the harem."

"Women go through (craving) a lot more than men," said Melissa Martilotta, clinical nutrition instructor and director of the nutrition clinic.

Martilotta said the reason women crave chocolate more than men could be hormonal, but she added it could be because women diet more and try to deprive themselves of such foods.

"We set ourselves up for craving chocolate by making it a 'bad' food," she said.

There could be a connection between the cheese on pizza and chocolate, however.

Studies have focused on phenylethylamine (PEA), a substance found in chocolate, which is thought to produce an emotional reaction similar to the experience of falling in love, according to the Chocolate Manufacturers Association. Research has been inconclusive, however, because PEA is also found in other foods such as cheese.

Courtney said women do, on average, purchase more chocolate than men. While researchers continue to study the connection between food, mood and hormones, she points to the fact that chocolate just plain tastes good.

"I think chocolate is more romantic and sexual than other candy," said Chris Scala (senior-chemical engineering), who was buying chocolate at Gardner's Candies, 202 W. College Ave., for a Valentine's Day gift.

But Scala said he thinks it is more the idea behind chocolate than the chocolate itself that makes it so sensual.

While more women generally buy chocolate at Gardner's Candies, both men and women have been purchasing chocolate as a Valentine's Day gift, said Dave Mueller, assistant manager.

Chocolate has been thought to enflame the passions since the 1600's, Dimick said, but it is also big business.

Not only does the University have the largest research center for chocolate in the country, but Pennsylvania also produces 42 percent of the country's chocolate.

Because chocolate is the leading food industry in Pennsylvania, Martilotta's advice to occasionally indulge can be easily fulfilled.

"You're going to have to get it out of your system," she said.