by Tope Tedela.
I didn’t get a lot of chocolate as a kid. Even though I grew up in a fairly comfortable family, the standard mantra was “it will spoil your teeth” whenever we asked for chocolate. For some kids, you rarely ever asked because
you never chop belleful, you wan chop chocolate!
We’ve all heard a lot of things about chocolate, good and evil; regardless, chocolate can be like that lover whom you hate but love so dearly. Remember when the doctor, I mean dentist, advised you to abstain from chocolate but you couldn't? Well, that’s how the story goes for many a human being.
Anyway, it's that season when love is in the air as we celebrate Valentine’s Day. And guess which sweet takes the centre stage? Chocolates!
These delicious darlings have become irreversibly linked to love, but what's so special about chocolate? Why do lovers send a chocolate heart for Valentine's Day, instead of, say, vanilla cookies or strings of licorice?
Chocolate has been used as a gift from the time of the Aztecs. Today,
a box of luxurious quality
chocolate says a thousand things from "thank you", "good
luck" and “congratulations”, from “welcome” to “goodbye” and on
Valentine's Day chocolate clearly says "I LOVE YOU!"
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE
The amazing thing about chocolates is that they come in so many different forms, shapes, sizes, flavours, and quality.
You can choose from a wide variety to suit your taste. Ready-to-eat ones are milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, sweet dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, and cocoa powder. We can go cosmo and mention the more exotic kinds from Belgium, France, Italy, Ecuador, and Venezuela. There’s even one kind called
Gianduja chocolates! Na wa o. The most mind blowing chocolates are those with a high cocoa content (these are rarely found at the supermarkets), deeper flavour, smoother texture, and a lot less sugar! (Think
Godiva!)
For use in confection,
we have couverture chocolate, candy coating chocolate; I mean the list is quite seemingly endless and there are so many uses! You can make truffles, drops, cakes, biscuits, ice cream, milk shakes and any other
creative idea that comes to you.
CHOCOLATE AND HEALTH
Don't believe every bad thing you hear about chocolates. There are a lot of health benefits in healthy consumption of dark chocolates which are rich in antioxidants.
Chocolates also contain compounds called flavanols (also found in apples, peanuts, onions, tea and red wine; no wonder chocolates and red wine are such a natural hit) known to aid heart health, though that is not an excuse for excessive consumption. Keep this in mind: the darker, the better. Lest I forget, don’t replace healthy foods with chocolates.
AND THAT OTHER SUMTHIN’SUMTHIN’
For ages, chocolates have been and are still considered an aphrodisiac. This association may go all the way back to the Aztecs who believed chocolate was a source of spiritual wisdom, incredible energy, and elevated sexual power. Chocolate was widely used as a nuptial aid and copiously served at wedding ceremonies. How does it work, you may ask? Chocolate affects the central nervous system, thanks to anandamine (a neurotransmitter or brain chemical), a chemical that increases relaxation and produces a feeling of euphoria.
In addition, other chemicals extend this high and also increase the levels of dopamine, another lovely little chemical that elevates the mood and increases sexual arousal and response. Ahem, moving swiftly along, we’ll throw out a few more scientific words for you to research and write us about: tryptophan, phenylethylamine and theobromine.
IN CONCLUSION
Receiving a nicely wrapped box of chocolates causes a sense of anticipation. The pleasure of unwrapping the box, the sensual smell, lifting the soft seductive papers, the look of the smooth moist chocolates.
When chocs finally pass your lips and instantly melt, they fill your mouth with exquisite pleasure. The taste and smell flood your senses with overwhelming ecstasy. Eating it slowly, taking time to enjoy and savour every bit. What better way to start off the season of love?
As we bask in the euphoria of the Valentine season and celebrate love, those boxes and bars of chocolates would surely come in handy to express, more than words can, what loving is all about!
Happy Valentine people!
