Chocolate is the Valentine’s Day gift that can’t fail

But year after year, it seems chocolate is the gift that can’t fail.
Shoppers flood grocery stores to buy chocolate, teddy bears, flower bouquets, and any other pink-and-red-oriented gifts with which to shower a loved one. Shelves of Valentine’s Day candy and chocolates fill every convenience store in sight. Couples scramble to find gifts that will please their partner and not result in dramatic disaster.
It’s that time of the year again.
“People love chocolate,” said Kristie Metcalf, manager of the floral department at Star Market in Prudential. “They want everything — they want flowers, they want balloons, they want chocolate, the whole package.”
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Chocolate’s rich flavor and sweetness appeals to many people, and craving it can be connected to emotional desires, said Kelly Kane, director of nutrition at Tufts Medical Center.
“I think we all associate our positive memories with food,” she said, “and having this spike in chocolate is a good thing. … We think of chocolate as associated with a celebration.”
This craze for chocolate that envelopes Valentine’s Day began in medieval times, and does not seem to be stopping anytime soon.
English entrepreneur Richard Cadbury recognized the marketing genius behind selling his family company’s chocolates in heart-shaped boxes. The elaborate boxes helped Cadbury rise to fame in the late 1800s and go on to become a universal staple of Valentine’s Day gifting.
Chocolate gifts today can be seen dolled up in boxes, loose in sleeves of plastic, or in more traditional bar forms. No matter the presentation, Bostonians, like others around the country, flock to stores to stock up on chocolate ahead of the holiday.
“It’s been crazy,” Paula Barth, owner of Beacon Hill Chocolates, told the Globe over the phone Tuesday.
In the store’s 18th year serving the community for Valentine’s Day, Barth said there’s “no better way to celebrate than with chocolate.”
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“Chocolate soothes the soul, it’s a natural aphrodisiac, and [it’s] a celebration of love,” she said.
Barth said the store’s sales tend to spike the most on Feb. 13, but anticipation of the nor’easter kept many customers at home in the morning. “They’re just starting to come in now,” she said Tuesday afternoon.
Many people believe chocolate is an aphrodisiac and can carry health benefits, with research showing many types of dark chocolate in particular can increase heart health and balance the immune system.
Kane, however, said research studies on chocolate contain a “varying degree of reliability,” because “a lot of the studies are smaller.”
“What we do know is that chocolate, specifically dark chocolate, does contain higher amounts of plant compounds called flavanols,” she said. “They’re great for us; they help to fight inflammation, and are a healthy part of any diet.”
Flavanols come primarily in high cacao content, she said, typically the 70 to 80 percent cacao forms of dark chocolate.
While other studies have linked chocolate to reducing blood pressure or boosting heart health, Barth believes those findings are “less rigorous.”
“Usually chocolate isn’t what [nutritionists] would give as a first-line effort to improve heart health,” she said.
Despite wavering beliefs on how nutritional chocolate may be, Kane said it’s important to enjoy everything in moderation and not feel guilty about chocolate consumption.
“All foods fit, and chocolate is definitely in that category,” she said.
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On Tuesday in Star Market Prudential, Metcalf and the rest of the floral department were scurrying around, trimming flower stems, arranging bouquet baskets with flowers and chocolates, and placing all sorts of plush animals and sweet treats on display.
“Uncontrollable chaos” is what they said they call Valentine’s Day week at the store.
Whether sharing the holiday with a loved one, or indulging in chocolate to commiserate being alone, Metcalf said, “You’re going to end up with chocolate at some point.”
Alexa Coultoff can be reached at alexa.coultoff@globe.com. Follow her @alexacoultoff.