Tag Archive: chocolate
Reducing Liver Enzymes in HIV/HCV Patients
October 4, 2013
A recent study has shown that patients diagnosed with HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus) and HCV (Hepatitis C virus) who ate chocolate on a daily basis, and downed at least 3 cups of coffee each day, were found to have lower levels of ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and AST (aspartate aminotransferase) as compared to patients who had fewer foods that had polyphenol in them.
Scientists came up with these results from 990 adult patients coinfected with HCV and HIV. They tried tossing in moderate red wine consumption into the analysis, but it did not make a significant change to the results. Also, tobacco use had no impact on either outcome. A combination indicator for polyphenol-rich food intake including both coffee and chocolate consumption was remarkably linked to risk reductions for high ALT and AST.
Bite Someone’s Chocolate Head Off
February 22, 2013
Giving heart-shaped chocolates on Valentine’s Day is so last week. Well, that's certainly true, since it was last week.
But here's an interesting twist that comes out of Japan. We all know how high-end their technology can get. A Tokyo design firm offered up its 3D scanner to come up with miniature chocolate rip-off of faces.
KS Design Lab invited certain individuals to get scanned using its 3D body scanner to make silicon moulds in their heads’ shape. Participants then filled it with chocolate to come up with their own unique treat on a stick, mini-me style!
"I didn't actually think it would turn out to look this much like me, so I'm a bit surprised," said Mariya Kawae, 30, who wanted to send out mini heads to her husband and co-workers.
The Dark Side of Chocolate History
November 17, 2011
Did you know that some centuries back, the Catholic Church used to associate chocolate with heretical behavior such as blasphemy and even witchcraft? Intriguing? I know.
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.
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The Different Types of Cacao Beans
September 15, 2011
Just because there’s only one species of Theobroma cacao doesn’t mean there are no different types of cacao beans. However, even experts themselves can’t seem to agree on how many types of cacao beans there actually are, but let’s stick with 4.
Why in the world would you even care about this mumbo jumbo? Well, for starters, one word, flavor. While most of us are happily content with any chocolate in hand just as long as it’s good, true blue chocolate lovers take pleasure in the subtle differences in aroma, taste, and texture between the different cacao bean varieties.
The first type of cacao beans is the Criollo. It was initially cultivated by the Mesoamericans and is generally considered to be the most excellent worldwide. It has a rich, intricate aroma, and a profound yet smooth flavor. Criollo beans require just a little fermentation and short roasting to draw out the flavors.
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