Chocolate. It is my obsession.
I try to eat chocolate with everything. My desserts are always decadent and devilishly good combination of dark chocolate and other dessert things. But there is always chocolate.
I drink hot chocolate when it’s cold, and chocolate milkshakes when it’s warm. I’m even devising ingenious ways of using cacao beans to make sugar and dairy free comfort beverages. I make smoothies with raw cacao and eat cacao nibs in my muesli. I’ve taken to obsessing over new chocolate recipes on the web, and reading the rich history of this incredible fruit.
So here, in honour of Valentines Day are a few things I have learnt about chocolate and why you should find a way to incorporate it into your romantic celebrations.
Cacao is the raw product from which chocolate is made. The cacao beans are harvested from the Theobroma Cacao tree and undergo a process of fermentation, drying, cleaning and roasting to extract the cacao nibs, which are intensely bitter, but purest form of chocolate.
The earliest documented records of cacao being used date back to about 1100 BC and have a rich and well researched history throughout South and Central America. Cacao also forms part of the history in trading in Africa, Madagascar and Indonesia. Although the richest history of chocolate comes from South America over 75% of all chocolate grown comes form West Africa. Everywhere it is grown it has been recognised as being extremely highly valued and was often considered more precious than gold.
The feelings of comfort and joy you get from eating a store bought bar of your favourite chocolate have been recognised the world over, even in ancient civilisations. And for very good reason. However, before we continue about how good chocolate is for you, I have to clarify that I am talking about dark chocolate, as close to 100% cacao as you can get your hands on. The typical bar of milk or white chocolate you are likely to pick up at your grocery store is very high in sugar and calories – so any benefit you may gain from the small percentage of cacao in those mass produced confections are outweighed by the negative effects of the added ingredients.
Always remember that the healthiest chocolate related options are ones with the highest percentage cacao you can get. This higher cacao percentage does however have an additional benefit over the sugary competitors, the incredible flavour of the chocolate and the bodies need to consume FAR less of it to be satiated.
And now I will continue listing why you should include this devilishly good substance into your Valentines Day celebrations.
Many studies on the effects and chemicals contained in the Cacao bean show an overall positive reaction in the human body. There are over 300 chemicals present naturally in the cacao bean and the studies document their effects fairly clearly.
Cacao contains flavinoids which help your blood vessels retain their elasticity. This is coupled with the fact that it contains something called Stearic acid which is a neutral fat and won’t raise cholesterol levels and Oleic acid which is a mono unsaturated fat which raises good cholesterol. Cacao has also shown to help the health of your circulatory system while melting in your mouth, indicating an elevated level of excitement, similar to kissing, and the after effects lasts 4 times longer. Overall chocolate can be helpful for you heart and circulatory system. In fact, studies found that men who ate dark chocolate tended to live a year longer than men who did not.
Cacao also contains Phenyl Ethalymine which is known to elevate mood levels. The smell of chocolate can increase Theta brain waves, inducing a sense of relaxation and has been linked to an increase in the production of serotonin (the feel good chemicals) in the brain. Cacao is also antibacterial, and surprisingly can fight tooth decay. It was also used by traditional healers to treat insect bites, and has been known to help with respiratory problems.
In addition chocolate contains trace elements of iron, calcium and potassium, and vitamins A. B1, C, D, and E. Cacao is also naturally high in Magnesium, a deficiency of which is linked to a number of diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and joint problems. Having enough magnesium also helps hugely to curb the symptoms of pre menstrual tension in women.
So with all these obvious benefits, why wouldn’t you want to include chocolate?
You could of course go the traditional route of making a rich, decadent dessert, smothered in whipped cream, served with fresh strawberries. Make sure to eat it with your hands, and make it as messy as possible.
Or – you could try pairing your chocolate experience with other aphrodisiacs. The ancient Aztecs coupled the hot chocolate drinks with a sprinkling of chilli, making a spicy, heart quickening, warming drink.
Alternatively, you can couple 100% Cacao with a savoury dish. You can search online for my favourite chocolate, chicken, savoury dish. It’s a Mexican Chicken Mole which stews protein rich chicken with Cacao to make a spicy, rich dish guaranteed to get both your hearts pumping.
The recipe, roughly, is as follows.
500grams chicken pieces, skin removed.
4 tbsp. Quality olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp each of cumin, nutmeg, ground cloves, salt and ¼ tsp cinnamon.
1 chopped red onion and 1 chopped pepper, you choose your colour.
3 slices of chopped pimento or red pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. sugar
2 large tomatoes peeled, seeded and chopped
60 grams 100% Cacao
2 tsp. chilli powder (or to taste)
Cook the chicken in a heated casserole dish with the garlic until browned. Remove the chicken and set aside, while cooking the onions, peppers and peeled tomatoes for 10-15 minutes. I prefer my food spicy – so insist on the chilli powder, however if you prefer your food less spicy, add to taste. Add the chicken stock and almonds and simmer it covered for about half an hour. Then add your cacao to the mixture until it is all melted. Return the chicken and bake for about an hour. Serve with brown rice and refried beans.
Happy heart racing Valentines Day.
