Forty percent of the chocolate manufactured in the United States is made in this state, Ziegler said.

Although chocolate did not become popular until the 1920s when it became widely available and affordable, the flavor and passion have a long history, Smith said.

The flavor of chocolate has endured as a tasty snack dating back to Montezuma, emperor of the Aztecs, who would consume his chocolate in liquid form. Early chocolate bars were made of bittersweet chocolate. Milk chocolate was not introduced until 1875 when Henry Nestle, a maker of evaporated milk, and Daniel Peter, a chocolate maker, invented the product, according to a the Chocolate Manufacturers Association and National Confectioners Association Web site (www.candyusa.org/bar.html).

Studying Chocolate

Contrary to popular belief, sitting down to enjoy a chocolate treat is not as bad as one may think, said Penny Kris-Etherton, distinguished professor of nutrition and member of the Cocoa, Chocolate and Confectionery Research Group.

"The work that we've done at Penn State shows that chocolate doesn't elevate blood cholesterol even though it's high in saturated fat," Kris-Etherton said.

In the early '90s, the university gave participants in a study one standard milk chocolate bar per day for six weeks, Kris-Etherton said. The study concluded, she said, that a chocolate bar is better than low-fat snacks such as pretzels, juice or baked chips because it increases HDL (high-density lipoproteins) -- the "good" cholesterol. Recently, the research group has been studying the effects of dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Compounds in the cocoa seem to prevent LDL (low-density lipoproteins), the "bad" cholesterol, from being oxidized. When LDL becomes oxidized, it can lead to heart disease.

Some research supports the theory that chocolate is OK, but people should be aware chocolate has calories which can lead to weight gain and increases in bad cholesterol levels, Kris-Etherton said, adding a balanced, healthy diet is important. On average, people consume about 23 pounds of chocolate per year, Ziegler said.