5 fun chocolate facts that'll liven up the talk around your Easter table

1. THE EASTER BUNNY HAILS FROM GERMANY

We can thank the Germans for creating the beloved chocoholic bunny in the 16th century. According to the Telegraph, this mythical fluffball was originally the Santa Clause of Easter. His role was to decide whether children had been good or bad in the run up to the holiday celebrations, and dole out rewards in the form of dyed chicken or duck eggs.

Why eggs? Eggs have been a pagan symbol of rebirth since ancient times, which the church later adopted to represent Christ's resurrection. 

2. WE CAN THANK THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION FOR CHOCOLATE EASTER EGGS

It was the Europeans who first hit upon the idea of making egg-shaped chocolates in the early 19th Century. As these had to be created in individual moulds by hand, they were understandably expensive and so were beyond the reach of many people.

Cue the Industrial Revolution, which brought with it new technology that streamlined the production process. This meant these sweet treats were suddenly available for a much cheaper price, and so the world's love of chocolate Easter eggs was born.

3. THE WORLD'S LARGEST EASTER EGG WEIGHED 7,200kg

This supersized chocolate treat was created in Tosca, Italy in 2011. According to Guinness World Records, it was over 10m tall!

4. MOST PEOPLE EAT THE EARS ON A CHOCOLATE BUNNY FIRST

A whopping 59% of people start munching on the ears after unwrapping a bunny-shaped Easter egg, according to a study published in The Laryngoscope Journal in 2017. Only 4% eat the feet first, while the remainder have no preference.

5. CHOCOLATE EASTER BUNNIES ARE HOLLOW SO YOU DON'T HURT YOURSELF

“If you had a larger-size bunny and it was solid chocolate, it would be like a brick; you’d be breaking teeth,” explains Mark Schlott of R.M. Palmer, a US company that produces over one billion chocolate bunnies each year, in an article on Smithsonian.com.

Of course, the other reason they're hollow is because hollow Easter eggs are much cheaper to make — and buy.