My Chocolate Fantasy

Liquid Indulgence
Bite into a piece of chocolate and your taste buds send you on a gastronomic history that dates back to the mid-1800′s. Yet, sip a cup of a chocolate beverage and you go back in time at least 4,000 years. Although chocolate beverages have changed in appearance and taste over the eons, it’s sometimes hard to believe that as a species we’ve been drinking chocolate much, much longer than we’ve been melting it in our mouths.
I’ve been subscribing to Merriam’s Dictionary Word of the Day (www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwod.pl) and low and behold, today’s word was imbibution, which means the act of drinking or taking in of liquid or knowledge. Sounds like my kind of word. Naturally, my mind began to wander reminiscing of my drinking experiences over the years- of chocolate, that is!
Although the term hot chocolate commonly refers to all kinds of hot chocolate beverages, there is a technical difference. Hot cocoa is made with cocoa, the dry material resulting from extracting cocoa butter from the crushed cacao beans. Drinking chocolate, on the other hand, is made with solid chocolate. They are both delicious. Most people prefer one over the other. A good hot cocoa is tasty and nostalgic. A good drinking chocolate is, well, the closest thing you can get to chocolate intravenous therapy!
Sierra Cacao High
Growing up in San Francisco’s North Beach, I was no stranger to delicious Ghirardelli hot chocolate made from cocoa out of that orange tin. Yet as a new National Park Service seasonal In Yosemite Valley in the mid-80′s, I went to a staff potluck and discovered my first drinking chocolate.
Our staff gathered at the home of our supervisor, Jeff Samco, which was located not far from the Visitor Center on the valley floor. Towards the end of the evening we gravitated towards the kitchen and found ourselves huddled around the stove. We all watched the pot of hot milk like eager children witnessing an ancient ritual, as Jeff slowly and patiently melted the solid chocolate into its dreamy, liquid state. It was quite the finale to wonderful meal together.
Even though the resulting drink was made with one of those big Hershey milk chocolate bars, all I know is that I experienced something special that evening. I had never seen a cup of hot chocolate made by hand from scratch. That night in Yosemite Valley, I guess you can say I experienced a “chocolate brain warp” at 3000 feet above sea level.
Jeff was way ahead of his time. Not only was he a confirmed foodie before the term was coined; he was making something similar to what Europeans have been enjoying for years. We’re just now playing catch up on this side of the Atlantic.
Also while in the Sierra, I was introduced to one hot chocolate laced with peppermint schnapps and another with unsweetened coconut milk. Although a purist at heart, I surprisingly found these two drinks to be wonderful, especially on a cold winter’s night. Add a cozy fireplace- and presto-you’ve just created a little piece of heaven on earth.
Old and New Memories
What are your personal memories and experiences of hot chocolate? Do you have a preference of hot cocoa or drinking chocolate?
I hope this article encourages you to migrate directly into the kitchen to make yourself a cup of hot chocolate. What better way to toast to the final official month of winter? For our long awaited spring is (hopefully) just around the corner.
Make it your way: with cocoa or solid chocolate, ala natural or with some creative augmentations, with milk, water or milk alternative. Try a Hershey bar for a sensory trip down memory lane or experiment with some new, higher cocoa-content artisan chocolates.
Personally, I like both hot cocoa and drinking chocolate, depending on my mood. However, there is something almost meditative and nurturing about slowing down and taking the time to make a cup of drinking chocolate by hand. We can all use a good excuse to decelerate from the speed of life these days.
You can find some good recipes to get you started at www.scharffenberger.com Click on the “recipes” and then “drinks” links. For flavor suggestions check out: davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/2105 Lactose intolerant? You might want to take a look at: nytimes.com/2009/02/11/dining/11appe.html
Whether we call it a beverage, drink or imbibution- hot chocolate is definitely a special indulgence for the brain, body, and soul!
Cheers!

Hot chocolate is a delicious drink that is a cocktail of cocoa powder or chocolate, sugar, and milk. This toothsome beverage can be traced back to the Mayan and Aztec civilizations in which they consumed their chocolate drinks made from roasted cocoa seeds mixed with spices like chili and achiote or annatto. The chocolate beverage was not only enjoyed but was also revered. Unfortunately, not everyone has the honor to drink chocolates during those times, only the members of the upperclass can drink it. Chocolate was thought to be helpful in relieving exhaustion and was associated with fertility. The cocoa beans were also used by these old civilizations as currencies. But the chocolate mixture during the old times is not as delicious as today’s. When European settlers came to the south Americas, they even found the drink a bit repulsive. Even when Christopher Columbus has returned to Europe and brought with him cocoa beans from his travels to the New World; the chocolate was still a bit ignored. It was only the time when a certain Hernan Cortez visited Mexico in the year 1517 when chocolate is beginning to make its way to the world. Cortez then met the Aztec Emperor, Moctezuma, and was introduced to some of the emperor’s traditions and activities. One of which is his favorite beverage, the chocolate. The emperor served Cortez the chocolate drink in a goblet made of gold, which was very impressive. The chocolate of the emperor was then a mixture of powdered cocoa beans, vanilla, spices, and honey. The “ritual” must have impressed Cortez that he brought a lot of cocoa beans back to his native Spain. He also brought with him equipments for making chocolate beverages. The Spaniards kept the recipe a secret for a long time that it was only after one hundred years that the beverage became very popular in Europe. When chocolates found its way to Belgium, it was like a match made in heaven! Belgians are known for their exquisite cuisine that is at par with the French. They even claim that their food is cooked in the way of the French but served generously like those of the Germans. The Belgians have their own way of making chocolates. Through the years, they have honed their skills and perfected the manufacturing of chocolates of the best quality. In this perfection of this delicacy, it is easy to assume that chocolates are to Belgians as electronics gadgets are to Japan. There are a number of varieties of Belgian hot chocolates to choose from and all seem to send the drinkers to paradise. From the moment the lips touch the cup and smell the aroma of the beverage, you will already feel the essence of the beverage being absorbed in your body. As you taste it a little you know that you’ll crave for more except that it will burn your tongue if you drink it in one gulp. Consequently, slowly consuming it is what makes it more pleasurable! And the perfect aftertaste that is like no other hot chocolate you can find anywhere else in the world. No wonder that chocolate lovers seem to salivate more than the usual every time they here the word Belgium. Probably daydreaming of gargling and finally drinking all the Belgian hot chocolate they can gather up when they get the chance to visit the land of chocolates.

• We start with cocoa from the finest beans, blend just the right amount of sugar and real vanilla, and add real chocolate for a rich chocolate taste.

The luxuriously deep flavor of Ghirardelli premium Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa creates the intense, lingering chocolate experience cherished by true cocoa lovers.

Ingredients
Sweet Ground Chocolate And Cocoa (Contains: Sugar, Cocoa, Unsweetened Chocolate, Soy Lecithin – An Emulsifier, Vanilla)

Directions
Stove Top: Pour 8 oz milk into small pan. Add 3 Tablespoons Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate and stir. Heat, while stirring, until steaming. Microwave: Pour 8 oz milk into mug or cup heat on High for 1 to 1-1/2 minutes or until very hot. Remove from microwave and stir in 3 tablespoons Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate. Top with marshmallows or whipped cream, if desired.

• This product contains 0% lactose content, though it does contain milk, soy and tree nut products (coconut oil). It contains 5mg of caffeine per cup.

Green Mountain Green Mountain Coffee offers an extensive collection of the finest coffees you’ll ever enjoy, made with Arabica beans sourced from exotic coffee-producing regions throughout the world. Guided by a series of socially conscious principles, the company prides itself on helping to preserve the pristine environments and indigenous cultures where these beans are grown. Of course Green Mountain’s hot cocoa had to be chocolaty and rich. It had to have a lip-smacking body and a tasty finish. Relax, sit back and retreat from the cold winter blues with this rich and creamy, chocolate delight that satisfies the tongue and soothes the soul.