CHOCOLATE!

     As you can tell by the new blog theme I am now obssessed with...yup thats right...chocolate. I recently read a book (which I will not name because it may ruin things for you...hint check book list for the Secret series) which got me interested in chocolate. Not that I wasn't already. Ha ha. So I did some research. Now we all know how chocolate comes from Cocoa beans right? Wrong! Cocoa is actually a mispronunciation of Cacao, and they are not beans but seeds so all in all, chocolate comes from Cacao Seeds. The Aztecs used to make a beverage out of it called Chocolatl or Xocolatl. It used to be only reserved for the rich and powerful. People of "Lower Class" weren't allowed to have any, and if they did (gasp) well lets just say that wouldn't be a good idea.

     The original Seeds have a bitter taste so they must be fermented, to develop the flavour. After that comes the drying, cleaning and roasting, and then the shell is removed to reveal...Cacao nibs. They are then ground to cacao mass, because it is then added to other ingredients it is called chocolate liquer. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate made with milk powder or condensed milk.

     Also Cacao trees grew in South America so until the 16th century the Europeans hadn't even heard of this tasty treat. It was only after the spanish conquered the Aztecs did they then learn of it. The first solidified chocolate or the first official chocolate bar was invented in 1847 by Joseph Fry and Son.

                  
A Mayan Priest forbids a person to                 Cacao pods.
touch the chocolate.


Thnx to Wikipedia 4 the info.

Ciao, Ciao!