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!

As morose as it may sound, it is in fact a cheerful occasion where departed loved ones are reminisced. Some families even construct altars dedicated to the dead relatives. The altars are filled with flowers, candles, wooden skulls and photos of the dead. The families celebrate and bring to mind the deceased members by eating the favorite foods of those passed. The specific foods that are specially eaten in this celebration are pan de muerto which is a skull-shaped bread and Calabaza en Tacha which is a dessert made with sweet pumpkin, cinnamon, and piloncillo, dark sugar cones.

Other families visit and get together at cemeteries where their relatives are buried. The grave sites are wonderfully bedecked with candles and cempasúchil flower. This orange marigold was the specific flower that the Aztecs, who were the first ones to be associated with chocolate, used to remember their dead. Some families also bring toys for dead children and even bottles of alcoholic liquor to adults.

Each place in Mexico has its own unique cultural style of celebrating. Merriments take place throughout Mexico and they celebrate in high spirits, but the liveliest ones are in Patzcuaro, Oaxaca, Chiapas and San Andres Mixquic which is a small town in Mexico City.

People in Mexico usually perform dances wearing wooden skull masks called calacas. Chocolate and sugar skulls are also made in some parts of the country and the name of the dead person are engraved on the forehead of the skull, a friend or a family member will then eat these.

When the Spaniards invaded Mexico, they deemed this practice as profane and barbaric as the Spaniards viewed death as the end of life. Nonetheless, to the Aztecs, Mayans and old civilizations in Mexico, death is just a continuation of life.

The Spaniards tried to cease the tradition but in vain. However, it is possibly no coincidence that the Day of the Dead festival is celebrated on November 1st which is All Saint’s Day, and November 2^nd, All Soul’s day.

Try booking a trip to Mexico on the Day of the Dead festival just to try it for taste!

The Mayan culture worshiped the Cacao tree as they believed it was of divine origin and it symbolized life and fertility. Cacao is actually a Mayan word which meant “God Food”, modernly coined as “Food of the Gods”. The Mayans were believed to be brewing and drinking this spicy bittersweet beverage by roasting, grinding and fermenting the seeds of the Cacao Tree. This was intended for the wealthy and elite.

The Aztecs, like Mayans, also have their own version of the fermented drink and they called it Xocolatl, meaning “bitter water”. Their Emperor, Montezuma, allegedly believed that this was an aphrodisiac, and drank almost 50 cups a day. The beans were even used as currency and considered as treasure that when Spaniards came and searched for gold and silver, they found no more than the beans.

The Spanish explorer, Hernando Cortez, reputedly brought the beans to the Europeans who then improvised the drink by putting in sugar and vanilla so it became more pleasant to the palate. The English corrupted the name of such to Chocolate. The drink created a buzz and spread all throughout Europe and made it a staple in their royal courts.

Chocolate was merely a drink until a Dutch chemist named Johannes Van Houten tried to remove the bitter taste from the roasted ground beans to make the drink more palatable, but ended up with the cocoa solids. And the rest, as they say, is history. What would the world be without chocolate bars, candies, cakes, and stuff? Imagine that! I could not thank Van Houten enough for “accidentally” inventing the solid form of this precious thing. The liquid versions are good all their own, but I just can’t imagine life without the solid ones!

Chocolate is always fascinating. It makes it even more fascinating when you know that the confection you are enjoying at the moment has a very extensive yet interesting history.

Well, not everything I read says that, just the scientific stuff…

Contrary to modern science, the Maya believed cacao was a powerful love potion that improved stamina.  The Aztec emperor, Moctezuma II, supposedly drank 50 goblets of chocolate a day to boost his virility before visiting his harem.

Research has never proven that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, but the chemical Theobromine can cause a physical and mental state of relaxation or sense of well-being.  Also, Theobromine causes alertness which I guess could be mistaken for enhancing stamina.

Chocolate also has small quantities of a chemical called phenylethylamine (PEA), which is a weak mood lifter. The brain could interpret this as a feeling of being “in love.”  It could also be interpreted as “addicted!”

I think the real heart of the matter is that chocolate is a gift that makes you feel loved.  These feelings of love have been associated with chocolate going way back. 

Here’s an idea:  In the interest of science, I recommend you conduct an independent study involving chocolate, someone special, and romantic moment alone.

Then, you tell me, was the chocolate an aphrodisiac?

Theobroma cacao, or the “chocolate tree,” has been used in folk medicine as an anticeptic, diurectic, and parasiticide.  It has been used to heal burns, cough, dry lips, fever, listlessness, malaria, nephrosis, rheumatism, snakebites, and small wounds.

The cacao tree was thought by the Aztecs to be a gift from their god Quetzalcoatl, which means “feathered serpent.”  The Aztecs would drink ground cacao in religious ceremonies to thank the gods for their generosity.  The drink was said to give feelings of euphoria and stamina.

When cacao beans were introduced to Europe, the stimulant effects (now known to be caffeine and theobromine) gave it the reputation as an aphrodisiac.  Europeans drank cacao more as a love potion than religious offering.

In Mayan times, incense consisting of cacao beans would be burned as an offering to the gods for safe travel and speedy return.

In ancient America, cacao was also used to try to cure malaria and other types of fever diseases by inhaling the smoke during healing rituals. 

Today, we hear chocolate is rich in “flavanoids,” “anti-oxidants,” and phenylethylamine (PEA).  The science and benefits seem to change over the years, but chocolate has always been seen as good for us.