How Did You Know That A Chocolate River Exist?

World Chocolate Day: 10 weird chocolate facts

Did you know that a chocolate river once existed? Ten weird and wonderful facts about cocoa bean products in honour of World Chocolate Day

1. A chocolate river exists

Well it did, back in 1971. The famous chocolate river Augustus Gloop almost drowned in in the original Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory film was made 15,000 gallons of water mixed with chocolate and cream.

With all the cream, the river spoiled fairly quickly and the cast revealed it left a terrible smell.

2. Chocolate was used as money (EPA)

In Mayan times the cocoa bean was used as currency as it was considered to be worth more than gold dust. Cultivation of the beans was restricted so the value of cocoa beans as money would

In order to be classified as real chocolate, a product has to contain cocoa solids or cocoa liquor. White "chocolate" contains cocoa butter instead.

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It's allowed to be called chocolate because the EU 20 per cent cocoa butter, 14 per cent total milk solids, 3.5 per cent milk fat and has no more than 55 per cent sugar content, you can label it white chocolate.

3. White chocolate isn't real chocolate

Yes, we've all been lied to. In order to be classified as real chocolate, a product has to contain cocoa solids or cocoa liquor. White "chocolate" contains cocoa butter instead.

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It's allowed to be called chocolate because the EU 20 per cent cocoa butter, 14 per cent total milk solids, 3.5 per cent milk fat and has no more than 55 per cent sugar content, you can label it white chocolate.

4. Europeans love chocolate (Getty)

According to the International Cocoa Organization, Europeans account for almost half the world's chocolate consumption. They estimate the average Brit, Swiss, or German eat 11kg of chocolate a year.

5. Thorntons created the world's largest chocolate

World's biggest chocolate bar unwrapped

Thorntons staff member Paul Bell said: "All staff were asked to come up with ideas of how we should celebrate our 100th birthday and, because Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was my favourite film as a child, I immediately thought of a scene from the film where a bar of chocolate was shrunk and I thought – “wouldn't it be fantastic to do the reverse and make the world's largest bar of chocolate”.’

6. The chocolate chip cookie was an accident (Alamy)

In 1930 Ruth Wakefield realised she was out of baker's chocolate and mixed broken piece of Nestle chocolate into her cookie dough, expecting the chocolate to be absorbed and create chocolate cookies. Instead, she accidentally created chocolate chip cookies, and later sold the idea to Nestle in return for a lifetime supply of chocolate.

7. Crisps dipped in chocolate exist (Amazon)

For a limited time only, Lay's (known as Walkers in the UK) in America sold crisps dipped in a layer of milk chocolate. The Calgary Herald said the crisps had a "salty-sweet combination, along with the texture contrast of warm melted choclate and a crunchy