FUN FACT: Is chocolate good for your health?

Certainly chocolate provides a lot of pleasure, but you don’t have to feel too guilty. As evidenced by her lovely book, Chloe’ Doutre-Roussel is The Chocolate Connoisseur. She presents a strong argument for the health benefits of chocolate. For example;

• Chocolate is packed with minerals. A 3 ½ oz. chocolate bar provides 20% of your daily iron, 27% of your potassium, and 13% of calcium.

• Chocolate is a major source of antioxidants. Dark chocolate tops the US Department of Agriculture’s list of high-antioxidant foods, containing many of the same flavinoids as red wine and green tea. According to a Cornell University study, one cup of hot cocoa has twice as many healthy antioxidants as a glass of red wine, and four times more than a cup of green tea.

• Chocolate is good for your teeth. Studies have failed to connect a significant link between chocolate and tooth decay. Furthermore, cocoa contains fluoride.

Learn more in The Chocolate Connoisseur, a compact guide packed with amazing stories, tasting notes for the world’s finest chocolates, history, myths, recipes, and “chocolate philosophy”.

FUN FACT: Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac?

This is a myth, although one that has been well maintained over the years. The Aztec emperor Moctezuma is thought to have drunk 50 golden goblets of chocolate a day, allegedly to enhance his sexual prowess. So, when chocolate was discovered by the Spanish conquistadors and introduced to Europe, it was natural for the Spanish and eventually the rest of the world to associate it with love.
The reasons for this myth can also be seen in the effects of chocolate on human behavior. Chocolate does contain the same mood-lifting chemicals that rush in when we are experiencing feelings of love or lust. Chocolate also gives an immediate and substantial energy boost, thus increasing stamina. Yet, there is no conclusive evidence that chocolate is an aphrodisiac.

- Adapted from Chloe Doutre-Roussel’s The Chocolate Connoisseur, a compact guide packed with amazing stories, tasting notes for the world’s finest chocolates, history, myths, recipes, and “chocolate philosophy”.

WEEKEND COCKTAIL HOUR: Spicy Hot Chocolate

For nearly all of its 3,000 year history, chocolate has been consumed as drink. The Mayas and Aztecs both traded with cocoa beans – such was their value. Those who could afford the beans used them to make a hot chocolate flavored with spices. Hot cocoa was so respected that:

- It was the champagne of society weddings and the drink was prohibited to commoners.
- They assumed it had magical powers. Children were often ‘baptized’ with cacao water.
- The Mayans has a cocoa god, and the drink was used in many of their rituals.
- A bride and groom would exchange it in their marriage ceremony.
- The Aztecs, who used to make an annual sacrifice of their most beautiful slave, would serve chocolate to the elected victim to temper his melancholy in the final week before his execution.

As today, the drink was best served frothy. To achieve this (for froth was considered a sign of quality), it was poured back and forth between two jars. This recipe for Spicy Hot Chocolate evokes these traditions and makes a comforting treat for a winter cocktail hour.

2 ¼ cups whole milk
2 to 4 tablespoons water
½ vanilla bean, split open
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch finely ground black pepper
Pinch ground anise
3 ½ ounces Pralus Trinidad Chocolate, finely chopped
3 tablespoons sugar-free Scharffen Berger powdered chocolate
4 to 8 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons light cream

1. Heat the milk, water, vanilla bean, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, and anise in a saucepan over low heat until hot.
2. Add the chocolate and cocoa, whisking vigorously to prevent the chocolate from sticking to the pan and developing a burnt flavor.
3. Add 4 teaspoons sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the cream and wisk again. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if needed.
4. Remove from the heat and leave the chocolate to rest in a cool place for up to 45 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean.
5. Return the chocolate to low heat, whisking in air to make it frothy, and heat until hot. Serve immediately.

Note: For the genuine experience, use exactly the kinds of chocolate and cocoa powder listed here. If you can’t find them, do try and replace them with quality alternatives (rather than supermarket brands.) It just won’t taste the same otherwise.

- Adapted from Chloe Doutre-Roussel’s The Chocolate Connoisseur, a compact guide packed with amazing stories, tasting notes for the world’s finest chocolates, history, myths, recipes, and “chocolate philosophy”.