By chocolate I mean the proper stuff, the 100% cocoa, the kind that you only need a tiny amount because any more will blow your taste buds clean away.
I am in the Italians camp who have been in great debate as of late with the EU over the definition of chocolate. The Italians believe that chocolate can only be named so if it is 100% cacao. As long as they are not genetically modified, natural flavourings and soya lecithin can be added. Non-milk fats are not allowed though nuts and berries are okay. In the chocolate shops of Barcelona they would look at you in horror if you asked for a bar of ‘dairy milk.’ Whereas here in the UK we are conditioned to think that chocolate is a confectionary.
Chocolate is made from the seeds of the cacao tree. Its scientific name Theobroma means “food of the gods” It was discovered over 2,000 years ago in the American rainforest and became very much a part of the Aztec and Mayan culture where they drank it as a bitter drink believing it to have healing and nourishing powers. It is believed that due to its aphrodisiac qualities the Aztec ruler Montezuma II is said to have drunk an extra cup of chocolate before consorting with favored ladies! It was not until the 16th century, when, during the conquest of Mexico, the Spanish realising its value, began to ship it to Europe and sweeten it with sugar. So treasured it was they managed to keep it as secret from the rest of Europe for almost 100 years.
Science has discovered that the Aztecs and the Mayans were right to have believed that their precious chocolate had healing and nourishing powers. It is packed full of antioxidants needed to help fight against free radical damage thought to lead to cancer. The higher the cacao content the higher the antioxidants for example more than 10 percent of the dry raw cacoa bean consists of antioxidants. These Antioxidants called flavenols found in chocolate are thought to help reduce the risk of heart disease as they work to slow down the bad cholesterol in your blood preventing damage to your arteries, they also reduce platelet clumping similar to but much less than aspirin, and help to relax and widen the arteries. Flavonals may also help restore more normal functions in the cells therefore better controlling blood sugar. The higher the cacao content the lower the sugar content making dark and raw chocolate a Low Glycemic food therefore reducing spikes in blood sugar. Chocolate also contains some vital minerals such as Potassium, Magnesium and Iron. Magnesium is essential for many of our bodies functions such as energy production, bone structure and hormone function. Potassium helps to maintain a normal water balance and Iron’s main function is to enable red blood cells to carry oxygen for use throughout the entire body.
Research has also shown that chocolate enhances the action of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and endorphin and encourages them to stay in the bloodstream for longer. Chocolate also contains a naturally occurring amino acid phenylethylamine (PEA) which is produced naturally by the brain when we are in love.
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