Chocolate, A Way to Your Lover’s Heart
By Jon
Ashton
Chocolate has been on the
roadmap to a lover’s heart for centuries. And it
all started just south of here in Central America,
where Theobromia
Cacao grows indigenous to the area. This
is but one of 22 species of chocolate plant and it
is one of two that are economically important.
Columbus came across a canoe full of chocolate beans
and found out that they were used as money, but he
never discovered that it could be turned into a
drink. It took a Spaniard – Cortes by name – to
discover a vault full of “black almonds” (as they
were first named) in Tenochtitlan. This must have
been just before the conquistadors devastated the
city.
They even thought that chocolate might have been an
aphrodisiac as well as delicious. In Europe, it was
perceived as a woman’s drink. After the explorers
had been in Central America for a while, their
concubines and servants soon convinced them to taste
it. It became a drink that many were addicted to.
By the 17th century, the throne of Spain
was using a “chocolate cup and saucer” for their
drinks. This had been invented by the Marquis de
Mancera – Viceroy of Peru in the 1600’s. He had
seen a guest spill her clumsy chocolate pot trying
to drink from it.
The medicinal virtues
were what brought chocolate to Europe. Chocolate
was first sold in London when the Brits finally were
introduced to chocolate by a French man who had a
shop on Gracechurch Street in London. It was
advertised as an “ excellent West Indian drink that
will cure and preserve the body from many
diseases.” Samuel Pepys recorded in his diary that
he often took a morning drink of “chocolatte.” By
the end of the 18th century, chocolate
had found its way even into opera. You remember, I
n one scene of Mozart’s
Cosi fan Tutti,a
maid enters carrying a chocolate and cups. Yes, I
know this is a bit esoteric, but I am a vault of
useless information, after all.
It seems hard to believe
that West Africa came into the cacao production
scene by the end of the 19th century, and
by the 20th century, chocolate production
had spread to Java, New Guinea, New Hebrides, and
Suriname. Notice that all these countries are
within 10 degrees North and South of the Equator,
the limit of cacao growth. West Africa is now the
world’s main source of chocolate, producing about
80% of what the world needs.
Chocoholics look to
Europe even today for some of the finest chocolate.
Producers such as Droste’ van Houten of Holland;
Linddt, Suchard of Switzerland, Menier of France;
and Fry, Cadbury, Roundtree of England. On this
side of the pond, Walter Baker started in the late
1700’s. And of course, Herseys of Pennsylvania still
rules the candy aisle with their petite kisses.
For me, I use chocolate
with many things. Puddings, desserts, ice creams,
etc. I find it has a wonderful relationship with
nuts, fruits, orange, mint, coffee, and spirits
(liquor). I use the concentrated form of chocolate
which is cocoa. It provides a resolute flavor for
cakes, biscuits (cookies), icings, and I even throw
it into the odd pastry.
Savoury sauces have been
created around the flavor of chocolate. They can be
used for game meats and other spicy dishes such as
Mexican mole
. This is a very famous Mexican sauce
meaning “ mixture or concoction.” Chili peppers and
bitter chocolate rub their elbows in this sauce.
Even the Spanish have consistently used chocolate in
their “catalan-style” dishes that are sometimes
seasoned with chocolate. Italians have been known
to use chocolate to season a
salsa agradolce
. This can be thought of as a sweet and
sour sauce.
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