The Definitive Guide to Chocolate
Ah, chocolate. What a life. According to the Aztecs, the great feathered serpent god of wisdom and creation known as Quetzalcoatl introduced the cocoa bean to mankind. It’s likelier that it originated in the Amazon rainforest and wound its way north to Mesoamerica, whose inhabitants figured out they could domesticate, ferment, roast, crush, and mix cocoa with water, chilies, and spices to produce a bitter, intoxicating drink. It then took a boat across the Atlantic, learning Spanish along the way. Europe wasn’t sure what to make of the bitterness until someone spilled a little sugar into the drink. Cocoa quickly swept across the continent, giving rise to large corporations that persist to this day, like Cadbury, Nestle, Hershey, and Lindt. Today, chocolate is everywhere. It’s part of the fabric of human experience. Why’s it so good? Let’s start with… The Health Benefits Chocolate Contains Healthy Fats Cocoa butter is mostly monounsaturated and saturated fat, with very little