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Chocolate: Mexico’s Gift to The World By Habeeb Salloum |
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However, Cortez was not the first European to taste chocolate. In
1502, Columbus discovered the cocoa, a corruption of the Mayan word
choqui (warmth), bean from which the Caribbean natives made a
bitter drink, but it was Cortez who introduced it to Europe. In
1519, Montezuma, emperor of the Aztecs, treated this father of all
Conquistadors to a foaming sacred beverage known as
According to Aztec legend, the cocoa tree had divine origin: It was first grown in the “Garden of Life” as food for the gods and Quetzalcoatl, god of air, was commissioned to take the tree down to man. Chocolate was also divine for most of the other Indian civilizations. The Mayans held an annual merry festival for Ekchuah, their cocoa grower’s god. The Aztecs and Mayans drank the Xocolotl beverage during important ceremonial functions and offered it to the gods in numerous rituals. It was served when naming infants and at puberty rites, marriages, and funerals. It was offered to valiant worriers or cowardly soldiers--the Mayans had a saying, ‘He will not drink chocolate, receive tobacco or eat fine foods.” Besides revering its heavenly origin, Central American Indians so cherished the cocoa bean that they used it as currency.
Spanish kept a monopoly on chocolate for a century before it became popular throughout the remainder of the world. In the 17th century, the Dutch introduced the cocoa tree to Equatorial Africa, Sira Lanka and Indonesia, and later the English improved chocolate by adding milk to the basic product. The cocoa tree (theobroma cacao), meaning ‘food of the gods’, is native to the Amazon region in South America. A true tropical plant, it flourishes only in a narrow band around the center of the globe. Strangely, Mexico today is not among the world’s top producers of cocoa. Most of the cocoa trees are to be found in Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana, and the Ivory Coast. To thrive, the cocoa tree, coming in at least 20 species, needs semi-shade from the larger forest trees, warm weather and high humidity. It takes from seven to 10 years to mature and continues to produce until about 30 years old.
Experienced pickers carefully cut the hulls harvested twice annually off the tree— the slightest damage can kill a tree. Containing from 20 to 40 seeds or beans each, surrounded by a mucilaginous pulp, the pods are split, then piled and allowed to ferment for about 10 days. This removes the bitter taste from the seeds and develops the essential oil that they contain. The seeds are then roasted. This develops the chocolate’s flavour and exposes the meat of the beans. These are then ground into paste called cocoa mass or chocolate liquor, 53 percent of which is cocoa butter. After refining, the cocoa mass becomes unsweetened chocolate. Depending on the sugar added, it becomes bittersweet, semisweet or sweet. If milks solids are added, it becomes milk chocolate, a product that once apparently gave rise to the belief that chocolate milk came from a chocolate cow. Foods and drink prepared from chocolate have always been associated with romance and fantasy. In some cultures chocolate has been called the ‘elixir of life.’ In others, it is considered an aphrodisiac. The Incas believed that cocoa was a sexual stimulant and the Aztecs maintained that cocoa made men more virile and attractive to women. Hence, their nobility drank xocolatl from golden goblets before visiting their women. Madame du Barry, well known in erotic history, gave chocolate to her lovers and Casanova is said to have preferred chocolate to champagne. Some writers in the 17th century inveighed against the use of chocolate by monks, claiming that it violently aroused their passions and made them lustful. In the same era, the English physician, Henry Stubbs, wrote that chocolate arouses passion. During the 19th century, Havelock Ellis, an authority on sex, took the same view, writing that chocolate could increase the carnal appetite. However, by the 20th century, chocolate had lost its reputation as a remedy for waning sexual powers. Today’s scientists speculate that the ancient belief in the erotic capabilities of cocoa can be related to the present day theory that chocolate is able to chemically stimulate the body to produce the endocrine, a hormone that elates us when we fall in love. Sexual power aside, chocolate, as the Aztecs long ago discovered, is mostly eaten for sheer pleasure. Flavored with almond extract, cinnamon, coffee, honey, vanilla and other products, it is for most people a gourmet delight. As bars, the ultimate thrill for children; and in desserts, snacks, entrees, sweet and savory sauces, and in all types of cold and hot drinks, chocolate brings joy to both old and young. To top its many attractive attributes, the food and health value of this delicacy is considerable. Chocolate not only tastes delicious but is also a wholesome product. Semi-sweet chocolate contains calcium, carbohydrates, fat, iron, phosphorous, potassium, protein, and the vitamins A, B and C. Researchers at the University of California have found that chocolate is rich in compounds called flavonoids that help to maintain good blood circulation and reduce blood clotting, the major cause of heart attacks. They have also found that chocolate increases the antioxidant activity in the body, hence reducing the damage of cancer-causing charged particles. It is no wonder then that this delicious and wonderful Mexican gift to the world is a much sought after food. The Aztec gods must be smiling at how much their tree is today cherished by humankind. |
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think
of the historic Mexican food, Mole Poblano de Guajolote
(turkey with chocolate sauce), one of the country’s most famous
dishes, native to the state of Puebla. Now as we enjoyed this
historic dish in Puebla’s Fonda de Santa Clara Restaurant my
mind went back to Montezuma who served this Aztec royal delicacy to
Herman Cortez, the Spanish conqueror of Mexico.
xocolatl
or cocolatl (in Aztec, bitter water). Roasting and grinding
the cocoa beans that were then pulverized and mixed with maize,
spices and water made the drink.
Cortez introduced this highly spiced bitter drink to the Spanish
court. In the ensuing years, the Spanish added sugar and vanilla
(another Mexican gift to the world) and the drink quickly became the
vogue at the court and among the ruling class.
Growing, at times, up to18 m (60 ft) high, the tree has large glossy
leaves and produces pink or white blossoms that sprout directly from
the trunk and from the large branches near the trunk. These flowers
give birth to large green rough-textured pods that turn yellowish
and then ripen to bright golden or scarlet.