C is for Chocolate
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| Chocolate Girl, by Jean-Etienne Liotard 1743-45 |
You
might think it’s rather cruel of me to post about chocolate on Tuesday
of Holy Week, when many of us are fasting during these last days of
Lent. But it is relatively recently that chocolate became the rich,
creamy treat we buy in foil-wrapped bars. For many centuries, it was
prepared as a drink, often very bitter. In fact, in 1569, Pope Pius V
declared that drinking chocolate on a Friday did not break the fast.
Apparently he didn’t care for the drink and figured it would be a help
rather than a hindrance to sacrifice and mortification.
Chocolate,
of course, was first used by the Aztecs and Mayas in South America,
where it was a greatly revered food, offered in sacrifices to the god of
fertility. (Considering how much I crave chocolate when I’m pregnant,
this seems appropriate.) The Aztec legend claimed that their god
Quetzalcoatl stole a branch from a cocoa plant in the gardens of
paradise and brought it back to earth.
It
was Columbus who brought the cocoa to Europe, and the Spaniards who
began to transform it into something I would actually like to consume.
They added sugar and nutmeg and cream--and they kept their discovery
secret from the rest of the world for about 100 years...at which time
the beverage exploded in popularity. In the nineteenth century, John
Cadbury (sound familiar?) invented the process which allowed the
chocolate to be emulsified into a solid bar, but even before that,
chocolate factories had sprung up all over Europe and North America.
And
the legend continues on into modern times... Did you know that during
World War II, the U.S. government provided their soldiers overseas with
bars of chocolate? They considered it an excellent source of energy, as
well as an effective morale booster. Sounds about right to me... I
definitely prefer to fight the battle of revisions when I have a little
Milka which I can nibble.
Chocolate is definitely a morale booster! I love Cadbury Creme Eggs at this time of year, especially while watching the movie Chocolat. Yumyumyum!!!
ReplyDeleteAnother great post, Faith. I did give up chocolate for Lent, but I've been given extra grace to endure. Thanks for the chocolate lore.
ReplyDeleteHello Faith, this is Faith! ;) Love meeting someone else with the same name... it's so rare to do so! I heard there was a recent study that said eating a piece of chocolate an hour before a meal helps curb appetite and thus leads to weight loss. Sounds like another excuse to eat more chocolate to me, but I'm not complaining! Hah.
ReplyDeleteI already knew part of the history of chocolate (I pay attention to the important things) but I didn't know the Spanish kept it a secret for so long. Great history lesson ;)
ReplyDeleteI will take a chocolate bar as an energy bar anyday! Thanks for your sweet words on my blog. I'm sorry about your mother-in-law. I think each new moment hurts a bit without them.
ReplyDeleteCatherine Denton
so so cool. I've converted to dark chocolate only. yum, now I want some :)
ReplyDeleteSuch an informative and delicious post! Thanks for sharing. Happy Tuesday! ☺
ReplyDeletePS...I hide chocolate around the house for whenever I need a little boost. Gotta keep it from the kids! LOL
A most scruptious post if I ever saw one. Yum! #atozchallenge
ReplyDeleteMy father-in-law keeps a stash of dark chocolate hidden in a secret place.... at least, he used to do so when he had nine curious and chocolate-loving children running around the house! :)
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