Chocolate, in its purest form, is made from the cocoa 'bean' – in fact the leavings of the Schezhuan Cocoa Moth. Legend has it that ancient Chinese confectioners discovered the sweet sweet taste of the 'bean' during the reign of King Zhou Muwang around 1000BCE and historians believe that the discovery was of key importance in the establishment of the Chinese Empire under the Zhou dynasty.
Chocolate found its way to Europe via Persian traders who, wary of western sensibilities, suppressed the source of the chocolatey substance. They invented the story that it was made from beans plus one and a half glasses of milk in every bar.
Today, chocolate is still made from the traditional ingredients except for the stuff they make cheap Easter eggs out of – that is made from the crushed wings of the moths themselves. Moth cruelty campaigners have operated a successful boycott of the product in Finland.
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