The word chocolate excites the mind and heightens the senses if you're a chocolate lover. Most of us have grown up enjoying chocolates but a very few of us know the origin and facts about it. Being a chocolate lover, I'd like to explore the world of chocolates beginning with the history of its myriad forms of recipes. Chocolate is a processed food made from the cocoa bean found in pods growing from the trunk and lower branches of the Cacao tree, which is found in abundance in the tropical rainforests of the northern Amazon basin. A cacao tree that can produce close to two thousand pods every year was discovered some 2000 years ago. The pods of this tree contain seeds encased in a sticky white pulp which is both sweet and tart. Unprocessed seeds are incredibly bitter and has to undergo a process of fermentation that changes the bitterness and the flavors to more edible form. The beans are then dried and shipped to be processed into tasty treats.
The first people known to have made chocolates were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, believed the cacao bean had magical, divine and aphrodisiac properties and mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink. Later the Spanish started to add cane sugar juice and honey to make bitter cocoa beverages a sweet drink and leaked their secret recipe to European conquerors and became popular throughout Europe. The first chocolate house was opened in London in the 16th century followed rapidly by many others.
Some of the yummiest chocolate treats that you cannot resist are Chocolate ganache, Chocolate Tarts and Fudge, Brownies and Truffles, Chocolate pie, and Chocolate peppermint ice cream cake, Chocolate Muffin, Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Fondue, Chocolate Crinkles, Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Pudding, Chocolate Cherry Rounds, Dark Chocolate Cake, Cheese cakes and Cupcakes. Chocolates are a delicious treat appropriate for almost any occasion. As I watched an advertisement on chocolate gift hampers by a famous gourmet chocolate makers on a local channel of my Dish TV, I was eased with the burden and confusion of selecting gifts to a few of my friends and immediately dialed the number of that chocolataire. Chocolate gift hampers are an assortment of various types of chocolates, cakes and other chocolate products. Also, there are some famous chocolate inspired movies like Chocolat, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Like Water for Chocolate, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and many others. If you love chocolate and movies, these are some of the must-watch movies for you.
Chocolate has been known for possible medicinal and health benefits, right from ancient days. The antioxidant levels in chocolate have generated a lot of interest because recent epidemiological and clinical studies show that the flavonoid compounds are more powerful antioxidants than EGCG in tea, which is a strong antioxidant. Some of the recognizable benefits of antioxidants are to protect us from damage to the heart by reducing blood pressure and safeguarding blood vessels, as well as modulates immune function and inflammation, while it also guards our DNA from damage that can lead to cancer. Furthermore, chocolate has been reported to release phenylethylamine and serotonin into the human system, producing feelings of happiness, love, passion and mood-lifting effects leading a person to feel 'high'.
Research reveals that chocolate can have aphrodisiac effects and eating chocolate gives an instant energy boost, increasing stamina and it is observed that human brain causes a rapid mood change inducing feelings of happiness and well-being. With significant health implications and heavenly taste, dark chocolates are no wonder loved by so many people today.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/chocolate-articles/the-gourmet-chocolate-and-its-health-implications-5508203.html
About the Author
Tina is a freelance writer and a chocoholic. She likes to write about food, the antioxidant rich chocolate's benefits, its characteristics and history and cultural significance. Tina often watches food shows on her Dish TV related to making of gourmet chocolates and health implications.
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