Organic Chocolate

Voice 1:
Hello. I’m Marina Santee.

Voice 2:
And I’m Elizabeth Lickiss. Welcome to Spotlight. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1:
Milk chocolate.

Voice 2:
Dark chocolate.

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White chocolate.

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Fruit or nuts covered with chocolate.

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Chocolate milk.

Voice 2:
Hot chocolate milk.

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Chocolate biscuits.

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Chocolate cake.

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Chocolate ice cream.

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There are many different ways to enjoy chocolate. People all over the world enjoy a chocolate treat.

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans. Farmers spend many hours looking after and harvesting their crop of beans. Many farmers use chemical fertilizers to help their crops grow. They use other chemicals to kill the insect pests that attack the plants. But some farmers in Venezuela are choosing another way to farm cocoa beans. They are going back to traditional methods. They are growing their beans without using chemicals. This makes the job much harder for them. It is a risky business. The farmers have to spend a lot more time looking after their crops. They have to protect them from disease and insect pests. But these farmers believe that this natural way of farming is best. It is called organic farming. Today we look at the organic farming of chocolate and ask - why is organic farming becoming so popular?

Voice 1:
So where did the world’s love of chocolate first originate? Experts say that the ancient Aztec communities in South America first used cocoa beans. They paid each other using cocoa beans. They used the beans like we use money. The beans were very popular. The Aztec people used the beans to make a special drink. In ancient times people believed that chocolate was linked to power, religion and love. Some ancient people believed that chocolate made a person more fertile. They believed that chocolate helped them think more clearly. Some people even believed that chocolate had special healing powers.

Voice 2:
Spanish sailors arrived in South America in the sixteenth [16th] century. They observed how the Aztec people used the cocoa beans. They heard them speak about the special powers of the cocoa bean drink. The Spanish sailors decided to bring some beans back with them to Spain. The Spanish people also made a hot drink with the beans. But they decided to add sugar. The sweet ‘chocolate’ was very popular. Soon everyone in Europe and America were enjoying it.

Voice 1:
There were many stories concerning the sweet chocolate. Some people believed that chocolate would cure heart disease. Others said that it made the skin look better. A group of chocolate-makers made an even more surprising claim. They said that their chocolate would stop people from getting old! There were many untrue beliefs about chocolate. But one thing was true. And it is true today. Almost everyone likes chocolate. Give a child a chocolate and they will smile. Offer an adult a chocolate and they will smile too!

Voice 2:
So what is it about chocolate that makes people happy? Doctors and scientists believe they have the answer. They have identified special chemicals in chocolate. These chemicals react with a person’s brain. They make them feel happier. Maybe that explains why chocolate remains one of the worlds most popular treats.

Voice 1:
In fact so many people like chocolate that it has become big business.