In most countries chocolate is associated with romance, and with good reason, it was thought by the Aztec's to have aphrodisiac qualities, invigorating men and making women less inhibited. So when it was first introduced to Europe, it's small wonder that chocolate quickly became the ideal gift for a man to bestow on a loved one.

Chocolate was thought to have aphrodisiac qualities by the Aztecs, so when it was first introduced to Europe it was natural that people continued to associate it with love. The reasons for this are associated with the observed affects of chocolate on human behavior.

Chocolate contains substances called Phenylethylamine and Seratonin, both of which (put simply), are mood lifting agents found naturally in the human brain. They are released into the nervous system by the brain when we are happy and when we are experiencing feelings of love, passion or lust. This causes rapid mood change, a rise in blood pressure and increasing heart rate, inducing those feelings of well being, bordering on euphoria usually associated with being in love.

Eating chocolate also releases Phenylethylamine and Seratonin into the system producing those same euphoric effects, plus it can give a substantial energy boost thus increasing stamina (at the critical moment?), so it's probably these effects which gave rise to chocolates reputation as an aphrodisiac.

Recent research suggests that women are more susceptible to the effects of Phenylethylamine and Seratonin than men, although Casanova is said to have consumed chocolate before frolicking with his conquests, but there's no mention of him actually sharing it with them.

But that's not all. Licking chocolate off your partner - yummy for you, orgasmic for them.

So there you have it, calling Chocolate an aphrodisiac is probably stretching it a bit, but eating chocolate does make you feel good and can actually induce or 'mimic' the feelings of being in love...