CHOCOLATE.

THE TASTY TREAT WITH A DARK SECRET

Margaret Briggs

Opis: The history of chocolate being consumed as a beverage can be traced back to over 1500 years ago when the indigenous people of south and Central America included it as an important part of their societies. It has been used as currency, a bitter drink to keep up strength and also as an offering to appease the Gods.

However, the chocolate that we know and love today did not come about until centuries later when sugar was added, and milk chocolate was an even later invention. Over the years, chocolate has been seen as a naughty treat but if you choose the right kind it could possibly have more good effects than bad. Early consumers even believed it was aphrodisiac. Montezuma, the Aztec king, was certainly convinced by it.

This book gives a brief history of chocolate and explains the production of cocoa and chocolate from the cacao bean. There are hints on how to enjoy it (as if you needed them), its possible hidden health properties, as well as recopies – sweet and savoury. Most people stick with the chocolate they know and love, but trying a new chocolate variety could be revelation; it may even change your life!