Chocolate wasn’t always romantic. How did it become a symbol of love? episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 13, 2026 · 15 MIN

Chocolate wasn’t always romantic. How did it become a symbol of love?

from The Excerpt

Chocolate wasn’t always sweet — or romantic. Once a ceremonial drink and even a form of currency, cacao has a long history before becoming a Valentine’s Day staple. Harvard Professor Carla Martin explains how marketing, industrialization and chemistry helped turn chocolate into a symbol of love — and why men buy the most chocolate one week a year.Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to [email protected]. Episode transcript available here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chocolate wasn’t always sweet — or romantic. Once a ceremonial drink and even a form of currency, cacao has a long history before becoming a Valentine’s Day staple. Harvard Professor Carla Martin explains how marketing, industrialization and chemistry helped turn chocolate into a symbol of love — and why men buy the most chocolate one week a year.Let us know what you think of this episode by sending an email to [email protected]. Episode transcript available here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Chocolate wasn’t always romantic. How did it become a symbol of love?

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This episode was published on February 13, 2026.

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Chocolate wasn’t always sweet — or romantic. Once a ceremonial drink and even a form of currency, cacao has a long history before becoming a Valentine’s Day staple. Harvard Professor Carla Martin explains how marketing, industrialization and...

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