Is there anything on this planet that tempts the taste buds more than chocolate? In my humble opinion, it is the most delectable, most delightful, most heavenly of all delicacies.
From chocolate milk, to chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate bars to chocolate bon-bons, candy bars, turtles and truffles, life could be a chocolate smorgasbord if we let it. There is white chocolate, dark chocolate, semi-sweet, unsweetened and milk chocolate, and every other chocolate style in between. And in one way or another, it’s all yummy!
Chocolate as we know it, is a bit different then when it was first being consumed over 2000 years ago. The Mayas and the Aztecs were the first peoples to taste that heavenly sensation of chocolate on their palettes, using the seeds of the cacao plant to concoct a spicy chocolate drink. The Spanish Conquistadors took cacao seeds back with them to Spain, and chocolate drinking became all the rage with the upper class. This style of ingesting chocolate remained unchanged until 1830, when a British chocolate maker turned liquid chocolate into a solid candy bar. 1875 Switzerland marketed the first milk chocolate candy bar, and became the world leader in chocolate manufacture. In 1910, Swiss chocolate is considered the worlds finest, which many people still consider true to this day.
Chocolate has been considered an aphrodisiac for centuries, Milky Way candy bars were modeled after a drugstore soda fountain drink, and high calorie chocolate bars were considered a survival food by the US military.
Now that we've given you a brief education in the history of chocolate, your taste buds are probably whetted for a bit of chocolaty goodness. There is need for despair; in the world of organic and eco-friendly chocolates, there are some great options to choose from. Search for Newman’s Own, Dagoba, Rapunzel and Rococo as well as fair-trade chocolates. For organic chocolate specialty confections, check out Sweet Earth Chocolates.
These are the kinds of chocolates made naturally using fair trade practices, and truly taste the way chocolate was meant to taste. And Because Action speaks louder than words, I’m going to get some, right now!
Source: BecauseAction.com
