Chocolate: the food of the Gods.

The Aztecs told them it was made from beans that had come from paradise and that with each sip of the drink they would be given sacred wisdom and knowledge.

Chocolate. Luscious, delicious, silky smooth, slightly erotic, simply divine, chocolate. I love chocolate. Such a simple and yet profoundly true statement can be applied to the many incarnations that chocolate takes: chocolate chips, sauces, powders, and drinks; cakes, cookies, ice cream, and candy; sweet, semi-sweet, milk, dark, and bitter; and as a vehicle for raspberries, strawberries, and oranges. For centuries, chocolate has caused many to wax poetic about its virtues, to sing its praises on high, to offer its sweet bitterness to potential lovers.

What is it about chocolate that makes us all feel so good? Is it really a sinful pleasure? Why do we love it so much? Chocolate contains some 380 different chemicals that in certain combinations can change the way we feel. Trace amounts of caffeine combine with theobromine and phenylethylamine, both of which are stimulants. It is partially this combination that gives us the chocolate "high." There are other chemicals in chocolate that boost our mood. One such chemical is a neurotransmitter known as anandamide. An interesting side note is that our brain naturally produces anandamide. So when we eat our yummy treats, the anandamides are thought to combine with our own, creating another sort of high. Other mood boosting chemicals include serotonin and trpytophan. Is it any wonder that chocolate can bring us to a state of ecstacy?

Chocolate does induce a state of euphoria, to which any one who has eaten or drunk really good, high quality chocolate can attest. It is this state that has made chocolate a much sought-after aphrodisiac. These qualities have made centuries of people call chocolate a divine nectar, a food of the gods.

Chocolate has its origins in the divine, according to its earliest consumers, the Mayans and the Aztecs. The Mayans first recorded the existence of chocolate around 500 BCE. Cacao, or cocoa as it is known today, is Mayan in origin. The word chocolate is possibly derived from the Mayan verb chokola'j, meaning "to drink chocolate together." Other sources say that the word comes from the much later Aztec language of Nahuatl and is chocolatl. The Latin name pays tribute to chocolate's divine origins: Theobroma cacao literally means "chocolate, food of the gods."

The Aztecs, while not the first to use chocolate, were the ones who introduced it to the Spanish explorers of the early Sixteenth Century. The cacao bean was a very important part of the Aztecs' culture. They used it as currency: one hundred beans could purchase a slave, ten beans a rabbit, and four beans a wild turkey. The beans were used in rituals and ceremonies as well. Around 1519, Hernando Cortez, a Spanish explorer, was witness to some ceremonies at the court of the Aztec ruler Montezuma. During one such ceremony, he watched Montezuma drink a curious beverage, chocolatl, from a sacred golden goblet. The Aztecs also offered the drink to the Spainards, telling them it was. made from beans that had come from paradise and that with each sip of the drink they would be given sacred wisdom and knowledge. The cacao drink was made with either water or wine and was seasoned with vanilla and chili peppers. It wasn't until much later that the Europeans would change the mixture; instead of using chili peppers, they began to add sugar.

Cortez introduced chocolate to Spain by bringing back with him a few chests filled with the beans, along with many other wonders stolen from the newly-conquered Aztecs. At first, it was not received with enthusiasm. However, once the sugar was added, its popularity took off and spread from Spain to France and then to England. Some began mixing it with milk instead of water or wine. By the Seventeenth Century in Europe, only persons of the nobility could afford chocolate, and it was widely used as an aphrodisiac. As the Spanish monopoly on chocolate began to fade and prices began to drop, the more common people began to have access to chocolate at the newly-opened coffee houses and chocolate shops. Unfortunately, this rise of interest in chocolate increased the demand for production, and the native peoples of South America and the outlying islands of the Caribbean were enslaved. Africans were ripped from their homelands and sent to go work the cacao fields. The divinity of chocolate was sacrificed for the sake of progress and profit.

Chocolate continued to evolve as its various uses were discovered. All over Europe, new processes for extracting chocolate liquor and cocoa butter and for roasting and grinding the beans were being implemented. Milk chocolate was created. Dutch cocoa powder came into use. New recipes were developed including the first chocolate cakes and pastries and chocolate bars. Chocolate became a delicacy for all people and has continued to be enjoyed all over the world.

Chocolate comes from the cocoa bean tree, a large tropical evergreen that can grow as high as forty feet. Its beautiful light pink flowers transform into long, oval fruits, almost a foot in length. Inside the reddish brown husk, embedded in a whitish pulp, there are about fifty seeds, the cocoa beans themselves. The pulp is edible and tastes similar to bittersweet chocolate. The seeds are scraped out of the pulp, they are then taken from their raw form and, by varied processes, turned into what we see on our shelves at market. Cocoa trees grow wild, as well as on numerous plantations within the equatorial regions of our world. There are several types of trees; the most common is the Forastero, which contributes its beans to almost ninety percent of all cocoa production. The most highly esteemed and most rare of all cocoa trees is the Criollo, whose beans are sought after by the world's best chocolate makers.

I will take my chocolate in almost any way, regardless of the tree from which it comes. However, I, do prefer it to be organic and sustainably harvested and processed. My peace of mind comes from knowing the earth is being nourished as my chocolate cravings are being satiated. Isn't it only fair that we treat such a wonderful tree with all the respect it deserves? We can learn so much from the cocoa tree. We learn to taste the sweet behind the bitter. We learn to share our pleasure and happiness with others. We learn to connect with the divine.

Raspberry Mousse
with Chambord Ganache

From:Ann Ragsdale-Perricone, Culinary School of the Rockies

For the mousse:

 3 ounces milk
 2 egg yolks
 1 tablespoon sugar
 1 teaspoon gelatin liquified in 1 tablespoon water
 4 ounces raspberries(can use frozen berries)
10 ounces heavy whipping cream

For Chambord ganache:

 4 ounces heavy cream
 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
 1 ounce Chambord

For the mousse: Defrost raspberries if frozen, puree in
blender, strain.

Whip cream to medium peaks. Whisk together eggs and sugar. In
saucepan, bring milk to boil, lower heat. A bit at a time so as not
to scramble the eggs, stir in sugared eggs into hot milk. Simmer
until mixture coats back of wooden spoon. Remove from heat, add
gelatin, stir until it dissolves, add raspberry puree. Fold raspberry
mixture into whipped cream. Fill 6 molds or ramekins, refrigerate.

For the Chambord ganache: Put chocolate in medium
bowl. In saucepan, bring cream to boil, remove from heat, pour
over chocolate. Let sit to melt for 1-2 minutes, whisk mixture
thoroughly. Stir in Chambord.

With kitchen-size blowtorch, heat outside of ramekins or molds
to make mousse slip out easily onto cookie cooling rack. Spoon
ganache over each serving until it runs over sides. Chill slightly,
transfer to serving plates. Garnish with fresh raspberries or mint
leaves, if desired.


Zucchini Chocolate Cake

From: Garden Way's Joy of Gardening Cookbook by Janet Ballantyne

  4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature 2 cups sugar
  3 eggs, beaten
  1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  2 cups sifted all-purpose unbleached flour
1/3 cup cocoa
  2 teaspoons baking soda
  2 teaspoons baking powder
  1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup buttermilk or sour cream
  3 cups coarsely grated zucchini or summer squash
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the chocolate and oil in a small saucepan over very low heat.
Cream the butter until light; add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat
well. Add the melted chocolate and mix well. Sift together the dry
ingredients and stir them into the batter with the buttermilk. Mix
the zucchini and nuts into the batter.

Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Divide the batter between
the pans. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 40 minutes, or
until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out
dean. Cool the cake completely before frosting with whipped cream
or your favorite frosting.

Harmful or Healthful? Consider the facts ...

* Chocolate has been blamed for obesity, tooth decay, and acne. Anything, even non-fat sugar free foods, eaten to the point of excess can cause obesity. Tooth decay can result from consuming too much sugar. Acne can be blamed on high fat and sugary foods to some degree.

* Chocolate has many recently discovered heart healthy benefits. It contains many flavonoids (protective antioxidants), which are similar to those found in wine and gree tea. These flavonoids have been shown to improve circulation and to decrease blood pressure. Breakthrough research is also demonstrating chocolate's healing qualities in possibly treating diabetes, strokes and Alzheimer's disease.

* Chocolate contains minerals and vitamins including iron, some B-vitamins, calcium, zinc, magnesium, potassium, and copper.

To reap the benefits and avoid the downfalls, consider the quality and amount of chocolate you are consuming. Most chocolate bars on the market today have very few nutritional benefits. However, high quality dark, chocolate contains the highest amount of vitamins, minerals and flavonoids, as well as mood boosting chemicals and the least amount of sugar and added fat, when compared to these other "junky" bars. It does cost a bit more, but the health benefits far out weight the cost difference. As with anything, don't overindulge! Enjoy a few pieces, savor each one in your mouth, let chocolate work its magic.

Resources:

Magic and Medicine of Plants, The Reader's Digest Association

The True History of Chocolate, Stephanie and Michael Coe

The Science of Chocolate, S.T. Beckett

Research Paper for University of the West Indies, Prof. Robert J Lancashire

Teresa Soule lives in Asheville, NC and works as the Editorial Manager and Office Manager for New Life Journal. When she is not eating chocolate, she is hiking and exploring the mountains of WNC with her husband Eric and two dogs. Contact her at [e-mail].