現在心形盒裝巧克力已經成為情人節的標配，這種美味甜食是怎么和浪漫情人節聯系到一起的呢？這要從公元前500年的瑪雅婚俗說起。

It's impossible to navigate virtually any kind of retail store in February without seeing displays of pink and red chocolate boxes around every corner. Chocolate has become a standard Valentine's Day gift, right up there with flowers and jewelry, but the treat didn't develop its romantic reputation overnight. It took centuries of myths, marketing, and traditions to write chocolate into Valentine's Day history.

二月份出去逛街，必然會在每個街角的零售店看到各種粉色和紅色的巧克力盒。巧克力已經和鮮花、珠寶一樣成為一種標準的情人節禮物，但是這一美食不是一夜之間被打上浪漫標簽的，而是經過了數個世紀的傳說、營銷和傳統才被寫進情人節歷史。

The first people to connect love and chocolate were the Mayans. They started brewing drinks made from cocoa beans around 500 BC—centuries before the first Feast of St. Valentine. This early hot chocolate was an important part of Mayan wedding rituals. The bride and groom would exchange sips of the beverage during the ceremony, foreshadowing chocolate's future status as a universal expression of love.

第一個將巧克力和愛情聯系到一起的是瑪雅人。瑪雅人從公元前500年左右開始用可可豆釀造飲料，比第一頓情人節大餐早了數個世紀。這種早期的巧克力熱飲是瑪雅人婚禮儀式的一個重要部分。新娘和新郎會在婚禮上喝交杯巧克力熱飲，這預示著巧克力未來將成為通用的愛情表達方式。

The Aztecs had a less wholesome view of the ingredient. According to legend, the emperor Montezuma II binged huge quantities of cocoa beans to fuel his romantic affairs. Chocolate does contain small amounts of tryptophan and phenylethylamine, two chemicals associated with feelings love and desire, but scientists say there isn't enough of either substance to make chocolate a strong aphrodisiac.

阿茲特克人對巧克力的看法就沒有這么純潔了。傳說蒙提祖馬二世皇帝會吃大量的可可豆來刺激性欲。巧克力確實含有少量的色氨酸和苯基乙胺，這兩種化學物質都和性欲有關，但科學家表示兩種物質的含量都不足以讓巧克力成為春藥。

aphrodisiac[??fr??d?zi?k]: n. 春藥；催欲劑

Stories of chocolate's effects in the bedroom persisted nonetheless, which might explain why candy-sellers embraced the sweet treats when Valentine's Day became popular. Cadbury debuted the first heart-shaped box of chocolates in 1861, and it was an instant success. The package was embellished with cupids and roses to appeal to customers shopping for Valentine's Day gifts. And once the box was empty, it could be used to store keepsakes like love letters and locks of hair.

盡管如此，巧克力對房事效果的傳說故事還是流傳了下來，這也許可以解釋為什么情人節興起時糖果商會賣這種甜食。1861年吉百利推出了首款心形盒裝巧克力，立刻大獲成功。這種心形盒子裝飾了愛神丘比特的圖案和玫瑰花來吸引采購情人節禮品的顧客。如果盒子里的巧克力吃光了，還可以用來裝情書和頭發等紀念品。

keepsake[?ki?pse?k]: n. 紀念品

Cadbury didn't patent the heart-shaped chocolate box, so the rest of the candy industry started manufacturing similar packaging of their own. It wasn't long before chocolates became synonymous with the newly-commercialized holiday.

吉百利沒有為心形巧克力盒申請專利，所以其他糖果廠商開始各自生產類似的包裝盒。不久后，巧克力就成了近年被商業化的情人節的代名詞。

Valentine's Day chocolates are exchanged around the world, but they're attached to interesting traditions in some countries. Thanks to a successful marketing campaign, women in Japan have to give "obligation chocolates" to all the men they know on February 14.

世界各地都在交換情人節巧克力，但某些國家有一些有趣的傳統。拜成功的營銷活動所賜，日本女性必須在2月14日給所有認識的男性送“義理巧克力”。

英文來源：Mental Floss

翻譯&編輯：丹妮