Need an aphrodesiac? Want to improve your health? Maybe it's time to eat more chocolate candies.

Whether it's chocolate truffles or chocolate covered strawberries, it's rare that I meet someone who doesn't like chocolate.

But I do meet many people who debate what type of chocolate is the best kind of chocolate.

They identify themselves as dark chocolate lovers, milk chocolate lovers and even white chocolate lovers, such as my sister-in-law Cindy. (Though technically, white chocoloate is not chocolate because it does not contain any chocolate liquor.)

Where does chocolate come from? How is chocolate made?

Chocolate is made from cocoa beans which come from cacao trees. These trees produce large pods that contain beans that are dried and roasted. This is where they get their distinct chocolate flavor. The hulls of the beans are then cracked open and discarded, and the insides that are left are called the nibs.

The nibs, which contain both cocoa and cocoa butter, are crushed and pressed into cakes. This is referred to as "chocolate liquor," even though it doesn't contain any alcohol. These cakes – sold as unsweetened chocolate or baking chocolate – can be heated to separate the cocoa from the cocoa butter.

What you have left is then crushed into a fine powdery substance known as cocoa powder.

There are studies that show chocolate has health benefits. Studies have shown that hot cocoa contains more antioxidants than a similar serving of red wine or tea.