Chocolate Flavours
Chocolate started as a sacred
beverage without a hint of sweetness. The fierce brew enjoyed by
the Mayans of Central America some 2000 years ago was salty, bitter
and spicy with lots of hot pepper. After tasting it in 1502,
Christopher Columbus brought some back to Spain. But it was only
about fifteen years later, that Herman Cortez saw the economic
potential of chocolate. With the cultivation of sugarcane,
chocolate paste could be turned into a palate-pleasing sweet
Chocolate came into vogue under Louis XV, with people sucking, eating or melting it to make a drink. In 1828, Van Houten invented the cocoa press, making chocolate less fatty, and the Dutch process producing cocoa that was easier to mix and digest and chocolate became a European fixture. Hot chocolate became a breakfast staple and a favourite with children of all ages and all countries. A cup of chocolate, whether iced, hot or Vienna-style with vanilla-flavoured milk and whipped cream, brings back childhood memories. The English drink theirs with milk and an egg or a few drops of whisky while the French find it more palatable whisked with water until frothy and the Spanish enjoy dipping bread and fancy biscuits in theirs
An evergreen tree indigenous to tropical South and Central America, the cacao produces cocoa pods, oblong fruit resembling a melon. The pods turn from green to yellow then brown, at which point they are harvested. A skilled picker can harvest about 1500 pods a day. The pods are split and the almond-shaped, bitter-tasting beans they contain are removed. The beans are then fermented, dried, cleaned, roasted, crushed and ground to produce the cocoa mass which is processed into cocoa powder, chocolate bars or meltingly delicious candies.
With the help of Spanish, Dutch and Portuguese explorers, cocoa production spread quickly. Today, the cacao is cultivated in Cuba, Venezuela, Jamaica, Brazil, and the Caribbean, but also in the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and Tanzania. Africa now leads the world in cocoa production. Chocolate, like wine, varies in taste, texture and colour depending on the soil
In Mexico and Spain, chocolate is highly spiced. Various condiments (hot peppers, sesame seeds and cloves) are used to enhance the taste of cocoa. The culinary traditions of these countries also include an incredible sauce called mole, which combines bitter chocolate and hot peppers, with sesame seeds, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper and peanuts to taste. Mole sauce is served on meat and poultry. It's also amazingly good on lobster. Chocolate-stuffed ravioli swimming in beef broth is another savoury dish that will be long remembered.
Turkey with Hot Peppers and Chocolate (Mole Poblano de Guajolote) is a winter favourite, Braised Rabbit with Chocolate (Conejo a la Ampurdanesa) is an Easter dish and chicken stew is popular year round. Heat a bit of oil in a casserole and brown sliced or coarsely diced onions and bacon. Remove and brown one cut-up chicken in oil. Sprinkle with cayenne. Stir some cocoa powder into pan juices. Cook on high heat for about twenty minutes. The Spanish like to stir bitter chocolate into the sauce but sometimes they just sprinkle the chicken with cocoa.
In cooking, you can use cocoa powder or slab chocolate, cut up or grated. Bitter, bittersweet or sweet chocolate, the choice is up to you. For chocolate-based recipes, check out cookbooks on Mexican and Spanish cuisine. Explore new taste horizons. Chocolate enhances some fish and goes beautifully well with certain meats.
Chocolate lends its black magic to soufflés, mousses, pies, puddings, tiramisu, profiteroles, and Poire Belle Hélène: a poached pear topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Chocolate cakes come in an endless variety from the show-stopping Black Forest cake decorated with shaved chocolate and maraschino cherries to easy, ever-popular brownies. Made from scratch or from a mix, the best ones are crisp on the outside and chewy and fudgey on the inside. Brownies can be plain, with nuts, iced or topped with whipped cream for a truly decadent treat.
Chocolate and coffee are a natural pairing. Italians like a square of dark bitter chocolate with theirs. Others prefer a chocolate-covered peppermint patty like an After Eight. Chocolate truffles, which also have their devotees, are easy to make. After the tricky cream and chocolate base is made, children can do the rest. They can also make chocolate bark, chocolate-dipped orange peel or blueberry chocolates like those made at the Trappist monastery in Mistassini.
Everyone loves chocolate fondue. Bite-size pieces of white cake and fruit like pineapple, bananas, grapes, strawberries, pears or kiwis dipped in a pot of hot chocolate sauce. For a quick and easy fondue, melt a Toblerone bar in whipping cream. The triangular Swiss chocolate with honey and almond nougat has been around since 1908. Of course, any semisweet chocolate can be used. Simply chop it up small.
Chocoholics are always ready for a sweet indulgence and looking for new ways to satisfy their cravings. Have toast with chocolate spread for breakfast, chocolate ladyfingers with milk for a snack. Make yourself some chocolate taste treats!