Chocolate Food of the Gods
Although the chocolate we buy today is sweet, the Aztec translation is actually “bitter water”. The reason our chocolate is sweet today is because of the way it’s now processed. The Aztecs and Mayans knew chocolate was a liquid made from crushed cacao beans containing alkaloids which have a bitter taste.
Despite its bitterness, these ancient cultures considered it as ‘food for the gods’. Who knows why. Maybe is has something to do with Theobromine which is similar to caffeine. Or maybe they had a little too much and felt the effects of the Anandamide, a compound similar to that found in marijuana. It could even be the amphetamine-like compound Phenethylamine.
The Theobroma cacao plant grows to about 20 ft high in equatorial regions and is evergreen. It produces bean pods which are treated in a similar way to coffee beans – they are dried, roasted and ground. The end result is chocolate liquor which is squeezed, producing cocoa butter and cocoa solids. When the cocoa solids are ground even further you end up with cocoa powder.
Note the similarity of the words ‘cacao’ and ‘cocoa’. No accident, but one refers to the tree or bean, the other to the product after processing.
When you mix it together with sugar you get conch. By heating and cooling (a process called tempering) you have the chocolate that we all know and love today.
Whether it’s in the form of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate, or even white chocolate that is chiefly cocoa butter with no cocoa solids, it is creamy, tasty and highly satisfying. Milk chocolate, the most popular variety falls somewhere in between, as a mixture of cocoa solids, milk solids and sugar.
Whatever type of chocolate you choose to eat it can be, not only delicious, but also healthy. Many active people such as athletes and walkers eat chocolate for an energy boost. Although chocolate making is a simple process, it can take many years to perfect the art.
It makes its way into recipes as diverse as chocolate ice cream, chili and chocolate martinis. Whether eaten in small chunks, or spread as a sauce on pork chops, chocolate is a much-loved ingredient of chefs around the globe. As a hot cocoa brew, it’s unbeatable.
You can even eat raw chocolate in the form of organic ‘power’ bars.
It’s a small wonder, given how chocolate can lift the mood of anyone feeling the blues. When we feel down and need a lift chocolate is often the food we reach for. We even reach for it to celebrate the good times.
It makes for the perfect dessert standing alone, and adds a touch of elegance when combined with a fine glass of wine.
No one needs to encourage anyone to try some fine chocolate cookie recipes. The trick is keeping them away from your stash. Hide some today.
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