The Aztecs were whipping up and enjoying their hot chocolate drinks when the Spaniards arrived. They took the cacao beans along with them as they headed home, and started enhancing the flavors by adding milk and sugar.  You can trace the roots of the hot chocolate drink recipe back to that. Shortly thereafter, chocolate became all the rage in European royal places. Special china pots and cups were produced, intended only for drinking hot chocolate. Nowadays, such kitchenware are considered as collectors’ items and can sell for a fortune if they come in a complete set.

Hot chocolate drinks are still enjoyed by the people of Mexico today, and the rest of the world, for that matter. They prepare it with cinnamon and authentic Mexican chocolate. And if you have access to a disk of Mexican chocolate in local Latino markets, then your chocolate drink gets all the more authentic. Otherwise, just opt for unsweetened chocolate.

And among the things that make a real Mexican hot chocolate such a winner is the frothiness. In contemporary times, mixers or immersion blenders are utilized to create froth, but the authentic way to do so is by means of using a whisk called molinillo.

A molinillo is a wooden tool which was invented by the Spaniards in the 17th century in Mexico. The molinillo is held between the palms and rotated by rubbing the palms together. By doing so, you create froth in the drink. Molinillo’s are actually still available even in this day and age. You can look them up and buy them online.

But before anybody was able to come up with the idea of creating the molinillo, they used to create froth by pouring hot chocolate back and forth using two cups. This certain frothing process tends to make hot chocolate cool down, and you wouldn’t want your hot chocolate cold, do you?

Today, frothy chocolate is made using machines. But if authentic Mexican hot chocolate is your thing, a molinillo can always come in handy!

Truth be told, the flavor components found in chocolate are more than those of red wine. You get the full experience in eating chocolate if you savor it by eating slowly. Every type of chocolate offers a different set of flavor profiles.

We know all too well that chocolate is derived from cacao beans, like wine comes from grapes. The flavors of the cacao beans are hugely affected by certain factors, namely geographical location, climate, conditions of the soil they’re planted into, the processes they undergo after being harvested, and their unique genotypes. And since there are a lot of factors that influence the flavor of a single chocolate bar, it’s crucial to taste meticulously to get the fullest flavor it can give.

And just like the unique characteristics of coffee and wine, chocolate is bursting in different complex and unique notes. The differences can bring about subtle distinctiveness in a particular chocolate. For example, cacao beans cultivated in the mountains yield a nutty flavor, while coastal Venezuelan beans give a dairy flavor. A lot of European or English milk chocolates give out a caramel flavor which is actually caused by the milk being caramelized.

Advances in chocolate-making today have reached the point of coming up with out of the ordinary flavors. You can even taste chilli in some chocolates. Other exotic notes include coconut, pineapple, cinnamon, and orchid, among many others.

When you do chocolate tasting, you also get to notice varying textures such as being buttery, sugary, and the like.  The most common flavors you are likely to taste are nuts, herbals, and floral. These are specific to cacao beans, but some flavors are added by chocolate makers to somehow balance the mixture of chocolates, especially those of sweeter types like milk chocolate.

You may even read on the label that vanilla, or vanallin, is added into certain bars of chocolate. Vanilla is known to balance certain blends and by some means intensify or deepen the flavors present in chocolate. Some chocolate makers even drop in a teeny weeny bit of salt, especially to milk chocolate.

If ever chocolate tasting tweaks your fancy, you’re always free to come up with your own descriptions of chocolate. Eat your heart out as you scrutinize the distinct flavors of chocolate!

And review these other resources at Chocolate University Online:
2 minute chocolate tasting interview (video)
basic chocolate tasting

Of course, for the full chocolate tasting experience, become a student at here at CUO.  The first 10 weeks of study are all about chocolate tasting.

The word “mousse” is a French word which means “foam” or “lather”. A mousse is a certain type of food that incorporates air bubbles to give it an airy texture.  Depending on how you prepare it, it can turn out light and fluffy or creamy and thick.

It made its way into the culinary world in the 18th century which was the period when chefs in Europe, especially in France, learned about the frothing power of eggs. A French writer Menon recorded the recipes which mostly involved different kinds of dishes from fish to vegetables. It didn’t take too long until the infamous 19th century French painter and cook Henri de Toulouse came up with the idea of mixing in chocolate with mousse.  He originally called it “chocolate mayonnaise”, which we now know by the more appealing name “chocolate mousse”.

In the United States, the earliest printed references to chocolate mousse supposedly come from a Food Exposition which took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1892.

Mousse, as we know it today, is yielded by the introduction of egg whites. The invention of electric mixers definitely made life easier, as doing the foaming process by hand is downright agonizing and it’s just not as effective.

Nowadays, there are endless possibilities with regard to working with chocolate mousse. Some recipes even have fancy liqueurs in them,   but the main ingredients stay the same, namely chocolate, egg whites, and sugar.

However you plan on presenting your chocolate mousse, as with any other recipe, it all boils down to the quality of ingredients you use. Opt for only the finest ones and not just anything you can get your hands on. Your chocolate mousse is only as good as your chocolate, or so they say. So you better get the best chocolate you can.

Local and regional chocolate and confection companies will be featuring and selling treats such from truffles and cupcakes to ice cream and chocolate drinks.

Guests and patrons can also participate in fun chocolate competitions conducted for the young and the young-at-heart. Go nuts in piling a skyscraper of cookies or in their signature “Face the Cookie” contest.

If you’re a chocolate geek, eat your heart out as you learn about the history of chocolate and the process it undergoes from tree to treat.  Fulfill your fantasies about becoming a detective in a hunt where you’re supposed to uncover fun chocolate facts in the Chocolate Museum.

Chocoholics of all ages will surely have fun creating chocolate lip balm and armpit fudge. Get to witness models in “Yum-way” as they strut their stuff made out of candy bar wrappers. The tasteful (pun intended) and artsy creations will be displayed at 2:30pm on Saturday, January 14.

Renowned pastry chefs and chocolate makers will be sharing some chocolate treat creation tips.  You can do this at home whether you are a chef looking to master your skills in working with chocolate, or a die-hard chocolate fanatic on the lookout for new, creative, and interesting chocolate treat recipes to whip up for yourself or for people in your life. Also, you’ll get to see these experts in the flesh and live in action as they compete with another.

As you may have seen in previous blog posts, wine and chocolate pairing is becoming all the rage. We know for a fact that chocolate per se is a pleasure, and so is wine. Get down to details to know how to match these two properly as you take part in interactive classes hosted by a professional wine and a chocolate expert.

Head to Tampa, Florida, to experience the Festival of Chocolate and have the sweetest three days of your life!

Time: January 14, 2012 at 9am to January 16, 2012 at 5pm
Location:
Museum of Science And Industry
4801 E. Fowler Avenue
Tampa, Florida 33617
http://tampa.festivalofchocolate.com/

Cacao trees are tiny evergreen trees that are only about 6 meters tall. These trees produce fruit and flowers all year round and they are cultivated in countries within 10 degrees North and 10 degrees South of the Equator where the climate is most favorable for the cultivation of cacao trees as they require warm and humid environment. Furthermore, cacao trees need fertile and well-irrigated soil along with regular rainfall to grow their best.

Cacao trees are naturally found in rainforests where they make use of the shade of the heavy canopy, since they grow best when they are covered by some sort of shade. In the wild, these trees grow underneath the larger evergreen trees and are often found along rivers.

For the record, cacao has been grown for at least three millennia now in Mexico, Central America and South America. The leading suppliers of cacao are Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Indonesia.

It takes around five years for a cacao tree to yield its first crop. It becomes an adult plant come year ten. It yields between 300 and 1000 pounds of cocoa per acre for approximately 50 years.

The seed pods grow directly off the trunk of the cacao tree, rather than the ends of the branches. Each pod is as large as a pineapple measuring 5 to 12 inches long and 3 to 5 inches wide and generally contains about thirty to fifty seeds. It takes about 400 to 500 seeds to produce one pound of chocolate. Cocoa beans, which are used in making chocolate, are the dried and fully fermented fatty seeds of the cacao tree.

Just so you know, cacao flowers are not pollinated by bees or butterflies like most flowers, but by forcipomyia midges which are like tiny flies. And just a fun fact, these midges have the fastest wing-beats of any creature on earth, about 1000 times per second!

The first queen was Anne of Austria who married Louis XIII. When the king died, she became regent and declared her immense love of chocolate. She was even given a personal chocolatier!

The second queen who had extreme love of chocolate was Maria Theresa of Austria who married Louis XIV. It is said that she only had two passions in life… the king, and you guessed right, chocolate. And according to the king, chocolate tricks hunger but does not fill the stomach.

After Maria Theresa of Austria died, Louis XIV married Madame de Maintenon and she laid down the order to serve chocolate at feasts and celebrations.

David Chaillou was the first official chocolate maker in France during the 16^th century. Vendors of soft drinks were then allowed to sell drinking chocolate. In 1800, chocolate became all the rage that more and more people engaged themselves in the chocolate sector, consumers, and traders, among many others.

The mistresses of Louis XV were also huge fans of chocolate. Madame de Pompadour used it as an aphrodisiac to treat her sexual dysfunctions. Reportedly, the king’s remark was that she was “a cold fish.”  On the other hand, Madame du Barry, being nymphomaniacal, gave chocolate to her lovers so they could keep up with her almost unappeasable lust.

The circle of queens went on, and then came Marie-Antoinette who married Louis XVI. She originated from Austria along with her own personal chocolatier. The chocolate maker usually prepared chocolate with sugar and vanilla, but there were other more intricate recipes such as chocolate mixed with an orchid bulb for strength, chocolate with sweet almond milk to aid digestion, or chocolate with orange blossom to calm the nerves.

Yep, even several hundred years ago, chocolate was such a delight that royalties themselves couldn’t get enough of it!

The research was led by Dr David Lewis, formerly of the University of Sussex, and now of the Mind Lab. “These results really surprised and intrigued us,” he said. “While we fully expected chocolate – especially dark chocolate – to increase heart rates due to the fact it contains some highly stimulating substances, both the length of the increase, together with the powerful effects it had on the mind, were something none of us had anticipated.”

The romantically attached volunteers who were all aged in their 20s, had electrodes hooked up to them by scientists as they put a piece of dark chocolate on their tongue and, without chewing, indicated when it started to melt. The couples then had to kiss each other the way they normally would.

The scientist also compared their resting heart rates with those where they had the chocolate and kissing tests. The discovery was that even the most passionate kisses were no match to the buzz chocolate can give. At the point which the chocolate was melting in the mouth, all regions of the brain were stimulated far more intensely and lasted way longer than the mental excitement they got from kissing. The lumps of chocolate also allegedly made the heart beat faster.

And albeit the fact that more women love chocolate, and not to mention, are more romantic, both sexes yielded the same results.

“There is no doubt that chocolate beats kissing hands down when it comes to providing a long-lasting body and brain buzz – a buzz that, in many cases, lasted four times as long as the most passionate kiss,” said Dr Lewis.

Chocolate is known to have several substances that give natural high, namely phenylethylamine, which is elicited when we are in love, theobromine, and caffeine.

The study used a 60% cocoa dark chocolate. “You’d think people would be shy about kissing in a laboratory, but that wasn’t the case at all. We’re not talking about a quick peck here,” said a spokeswoman for the chocolate makers.

Does the word ‘Inquisition’ ring your bell? If not, let me shed some light. The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis (inquiry on heretical perversity), depicts religious overkill, torture, and intolerance. It was the fight against heresy by the Roman Catholic Church.

What certain behavior connects such disheartening event to chocolate, you may ask. Well, it was the act of drinking chocolate alone while attending an event. As morbid as it may sound, there were even stories wherein Charles II, King of Spain, drank chocolate while witnessing Inquisition victims being killed.

Inquisition documents even recognized some activities of chocolate merchants that are involved in anti-Christian behavior and actions, chocolate was also used in seduction and witchcraft. Those documents also presented how people turned against each other, deliberately or inadvertently.

Many of the people in those times were accused of using chocolate in “non-Christian” ways. Some chocolate makers were denounced for being observant Jews.

Today, chocolate is almost synonymous to anything cheery. Let bygones be bygones, it’s a thing of the past! That was quite a transition though.

For the time being, Chuao Chocolatier in San Diego County has won a sofi Gold award from the NASFT in the hot-beverage category for its Spicy Maya Hot Chocolate. The just-add-water hot chocolate drink is a blend of cinnamon, pasilla chile and cayenne pepper, giving a spicy finish to it. They all come together with a blend of premium 58 to 72 percent Venezuelan chocolate to make this particular beverage gourmet.

The progress of well-made artisan chocolate was unrelenting even during tough economic times, that’s why the emerging popularity of gourmet chocolate came as no surprise to Michael Antonorsi, president of Chuao. “We’ve been seeing the growth, and I was excited to see that chocolate was at the top of the list,” he said. “Ever since we started we have always had this culinary approach to chocolate. Our mission is to arouse your senses – to take it to a much higher level than (just) sweets or candy.”

“Economic challenges spell opportunity for the $70 billion specialty food industry,” said Ron Tanner, Vice President, Communications and Education for the NASFT. “Specialty foods like dark chocolate, artisanal cheeses and creative condiments have become an integral part of the culinary landscape and consumers continue to enjoy them.”

Chocolate reigns as the top specialty food purchases reported this year and olive oil and specialty oils come after it. Next come cheese, yogurt and kefir and then cold non-alcoholic beverages. Coffee ranks sixth. Farmers markets are ahead as a source for specialty food, but supermarkets still lead.

Again, chocolate is 2011′s number 1 specialty food. So let me see that smile on your face, you little chocoholic you!

Researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, conducted an experiment on three groups of 12-month-old mice, the equivalent of middle aged humans: one was given epicatechin twice a day for 15 days, the second one was given epicatechin as well and spent 30 minutes on a treadmill, while the third exercised without receiving the extract.

There was an observed increase in the number of energy-producing mitochondria, the ‘powerhouses’ of cells, in the mice that only took epicatechin and they had significantly better muscle performance and took longer to tire than those that only exercised. It was unusual as these mitochondria are normally a byproduct of getting aerobic exercise such as running or cycling.

More mitochondria equal more energy, enabling you to perform work longer. The research team is hoping that their studies could ultimately be of help in counteracting the dreaded age-related muscle wasting.

According to research leader Dr Moh Malek: “Those getting only epicatechin had a significantly better muscle performance and took longer to tire than those that only exercised. The group doing both showed even greater improvement, so it appears epicatechin combined with exercise may be a viable means to offset muscle ageing.”

They were fascinated to know how natural products can imitate and improve the effects of exercise. Unluckily, the study is too premature for them to conclude that humans could get the same benefits as the mice.

Dr Malek also added: ”At the moment it would be a leap of faith to say the same effects would be seen in humans. But it is something we hope to identify in future studies.”