Susan Fussell is spokesperson for the National Confectioner's Association, a trade group that represents virtually everyone who's involved in the production and sale of candy in the United States. And why does Fussell think chocolate is so universally popular? \

ingredients in chocolate is cocoa butter. And cocoa butter melts at body temperature. So when you put chocolate in your mouth, it has a mouth feel that's unlike any other food that you eat. It has that

melt-in-your-mouth sensation right there on your tongue, and it is very hard to approximate that with any other food.\ Audioscript：

Chocolate is as big a part of American culture as baseball and apple pie. But its roots run much deeper.

Made from the seed of the tropical cacao tree, chocolate dates back at least 3 000 years to the ancient civilizations of Central and South America, where the cacao tree is native. The Aztec people valued the tree's cocoa beans so much, they used them as currency.

In what is now Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, in the southwestern United States, new archaeological evidence shows that people were eating chocolate here more than 1 000 years ago.

And they're still at it. Today, the average American eats almost 5 kilograms of chocolate each year.

Cheri Friedman knows how much America loves chocolate. She is co-owner of Kron Chocolatiers, a small, gourmet chocolate shop that opened 32 years ago in Washington, D.C.

\melts in your mouth. There's a warm sensation. \

Friedman says she takes pride in the fact that Kron's chocolates are made with the finest ingredients, right on the premises.

Americans' love of chocolate has helped to make it a big business in this country. Mark Sesler is senior vice president of marketing at Russell Stover Candies, one of the largest manufacturers of chocolate in the US.

According to Sesler, the industry got its start in the early 1900s with small-scale chocolatiers such as Steven Whitman, and Claire and Russell Stover. They started with small stores -- much like Kron -- but

soon expanded their business into broader markets -- thanks, Sesler notes, to an important technological advance.

\chocolate very prevalent throughout the United States. I think chocolate has secured its place as a delectable treat for a number of societies and a number of countries. So I think we're just one of many countries who enjoy the delicacy that is chocolate.\

Susan Fussell is spokesperson for the National Confectioner's Association, a trade group that represents virtually everyone who's involved in the production and sale of candy in the US. Fussell says that although the US is the largest total consumer of chocolate, it is not first in terms of per-capita consumption.

\course, there are so many countries in Europe that have even more of an established culture around chocolate -- if you can imagine -- than we do in the United States.\

And why does Fussell think chocolate is so universally popular? \

ingredients in chocolate is cocoa butter. And cocoa butter melts at body

temperature. So when you put chocolate in your mouth, it has a mouth feel that's unlike any other food that you eat. It has that

melt-in-your-mouth sensation right there on your tongue, and it is very hard to approximate that with any other food.\

But that melt-in-your-mouth sensation comes at a price. Chocolate as we know it today is made with lots of sugar and milk, both very high in calories. That's given chocolate a rather bad reputation among nutritionists.

In recent years, however, research has proved that chocolate, particularly dark chocolate, is also naturally rich in cancer-fighting antioxidants -- a fact that chocolate manufacturers like Russell Stover are happily promoting.

But no matter the preference, Fussell says when it comes to holidays, chocolate is king, especially on Valentine's Day, every February 14th. That's a day when people all across the country express their love for one another with gifts, flowers, cards and -- more often than not -- chocolates.

\during the year for sales of boxed chocolates.\