Food of Gods

Food of Gods.

Yes, Cocoa has been called as "The Food of Gods" by ancient Mayans & Greeks. Its not just Delicious it has Medicinal Properties too. Even bitter cocoa can turn into a Delicious Chocolates so why are you waiting for? Turn all your bitter feelings to Chocolates & I am sure The same world would become a better Place to live in.

Bon Apetit

Saturday, February 5, 2011

History of Chocolate

The first people to have discovered the secret of cacao are thought to be the Classic Period Maya (250-900 CE). The Mayans and their ancestors in Mesoamerica took the tree from the rainforest and grew it in their backyards, where they harvested, inflame, roasted, and ground the seeds into a paste.
When mixed with water, chili peppers, cornmeal, and other ingredients, this paste made a foamy, spicy chocolate drink.
By 1400, the Aztec empire took over a sizeable part of Mesoamerica. The Aztecs traded with Mayans and other people for cacao and often needed that citizens and conquered people pay their tribute in cacao seeds—a form of Aztec money.
Like the earlier Mayans, the Aztecs also ate their bitter chocolate drink seasoned with spices—sugar was an agricultural product unavailable to the ancient Mesoamericans.
Drinking chocolate was an important part of the Maya and Aztec life. Many people in Classic Period Mayan society could drink chocolate at least on occasion, although it was a particularly favored beverage for royalty. But in Aztec society, primarily rulers, priests, decorated soldiers, and honored merchants could partake of this sacred brew.
Chocolate also played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events. Priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies.

The Maya had a lifestyle many kids would envy—chocolate at every meal. "It was the beverage of everyday people and also the food of the rulers and gods," said Haas. In fact, the scientific name for the cacao tree is Theobroma cacao—"food of the gods." Hieroglyphs that depict chocolate being poured for rulers and gods are present on Maya murals and ceramics.
Now the newly-analyzed spouted ceramic pot reveals the deeper darker history of this almost drug-like substance.
Mayan teapots have always fascinated Terry Powis, an archaeologist at the University of Texas at Austin, which is how his investigation began. "Spouted vessels are very distinct from other Mayan ceramics and quite rare, typically associated with elite burials," he explained.
Fortunately for Powis, fourteen such vessels were excavated in 1981 from a site at Colha, which lies close to the Caribbean coast in northern Belize, and have since been housed at the University of Texas, Austin. The Maya occupied Colha, which is known for its production of stone tools and its Preclassic spouted vessels, continuously from about 900 B.C. to A.D. 1300.


All of the areas that were conquered by the Aztecs that grew cacao beans were ordered to pay them as a tax, or as the Aztecs called it, a "tribute".
Until the 16th century, no European had ever heard of the popular drink from the Central and South American peoples. Jose de Acosta, a Spanish Jesuit missionary who lived in Peru and then Mexico in the later 16th century, wrote of it:
Loathsome to such as are not acquainted with it, having a scum or froth that is very unpleasant taste. Yet it is a drink very much esteemed among the Indians, where with they feast noble men who pass through their country. The Spaniards, both men and women that are accustomed to the country are very greedy of this Chocolate. They say they make diverse sorts of it, some hot, some cold, and some temperate, and put therein much of that "chili"; yea, they make paste thereof, the which they say is good for the stomach and against the catarrh.
Christopher Columbus brought some cocoa beans to show Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, but it was Spanish friars who introduced it to Europe more broadly. Not until the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs was chocolate imported to Europe, where it quickly became a court favorite. The first record of the largest shipment ever to Europe for commercial purposes was in a shipment from Veracruz to Sevilla in 1585. It was still served as a beverage, but the Europeans added sugar and milk to counteract the natural bitterness and removed the chili pepper, replacing it with another indigenous Mexican spice, vanilla.

STORY:-

An ancient tribe called the Olmec s (1200 to 300 B.C.) from the tropical lowlands of South Central Mexico were the first to domesticate the plant and use the beans. They had a name for these bitter seeds that held secrets to health and power: kakawa, or cacao. According to recent archaeologists’ findings, the beans were an integral part of this ancient civilization’s diet and culture from as early as 600 B.C.

The Mayans are considered the most culturally advanced among the Mesoamerican civilizations. During the Mayan Classic Age (300-900 A.D.), they had cities with majestic pyramid-temples and palaces, a calendar calculated to end in the 21st century, and a complex written language that filled thousands of books. They also were the first true chocolate aficionados, treasuring cacao as a restorative, mood-enhancing cure-all. It became an integral part of their society, used in ceremonies, given as gifts and incorporated into their mythologies.
Burial tombs have been found that contain offerings, including ancient potteries that bear witness to cacao’s importance.  The vases are covered with paintings showing Mayan gods fighting over beans and kings waiting to be served cacao creations.
Chocolate plays a part in Mayan religion. The Mayan’s sacred book, Popul Vuh, contains their story of the creation, and instead of an apple tree, there’s a cacao tree.  In this myth, immortal ball-playing twins are beheaded by the gods of death. One has his head hung on a cacao tree. The magical head manages to mate with a woman who becomes the mother of twin gods. These two defeat the gods of death and then end up in the sky as the sun and the moon.
These first chocolate-lovers did not make chocolate bars as we know them today. Instead, the beans were ground into a coarse paste and mixed with spices, water and chilies to create a variety of hot and cold frothy, bitter drinks. Or the beans were mixed with corn and flavorings to make an assortment of porridge-like meals that varied in thickness from very thin and watery to thick and solid.  These dishes were high in nutrients and very healthy. They also were inedible by our standards and a far cry from the chocolate we eat today.

By 900 A.D., a new group of peoples emerged to challenge the empire of the Mayans. The Toltecs captured the Yucatan Peninsula and then some. Much of the wrangling between these nations was over who controlled the cacao-rich lands, and who had cacao trading rights.
The Toltecs also saw cacao as a divine gift, believing the god Quetzalcoatl had given the bean to men and taught them how to cultivate it.  Quetzalcoatl was banished by the other gods for offering this divinely delicious food to mortals, but he swore to return. This legend continued centuries later into the age of the Aztecs, and when Cortes, the Spanish conquistador, showed up in the 16th century, the great Aztec King Montezuma believed it was Quetzalcoatl returning.

The Aztecs led an empire of almost 15 million people between the 14th and 16th centuries.  Theirs was an aristocratic society, and chocolate was reserved for the rich and the nobles. In fact, the Aztecs prized the cacao bean so highly that it was their form of currency.  The bean also was used as money in Central American markets long after the Aztecs were gone, as late as 1858. 
The beans were the natives' "coins." A list of Aztec trading prices looked something like this:

1 small rabbit = 30 cacao beans
1 turkey egg = 3 cacao beans
1 large tomato = 1 cacao bean

The royal storehouses had “vaults” full of this currency. One estimate listed the yearly expenditure of dried beans at 11,680,000. Some of these beans went to pay the king’s attendants. Others went into the king’s chocolate drinks—and he drank a lot of chocolate. Montezuma was rumored to enjoy 50 cups a day.
The Aztecs consumed chocolate in liquid form, as did the Mayans. It was served cold and frothy. The foam was believed to hold chocolate’s fundamental essence, and the ritual of creating the foam is seen in Aztec artwork. They’d pour the chocolate mixture vertically from one vessel to another, back and forth to make it froth. Today, many Mexican communities still value the foam so much they let their cacao beans calcify and turn white before grinding to ensure a heady mug of chocolate.
At this point, chocolate was still a bitter - tasting brew and contained a mish-mash of corn, flavorings and spices. But this would change after the Spanish arrived in the New World.



Friday, January 7, 2011

Benefits of Cacao & Chocolate

Dear Friends,

I hope you celebrated the NEW YEAR with lots of fun and happiness. I wish you happiness throughout the year in all your moments. So now let us see the benefits of cacao.

Early colonial records indicate how cacao was used as a medicine and acted as a carrier in the administration of other remedies in the 1500's. The medicinal value of cacao was in its ability to treat weak patients with a variety of dis-ease. It was particularly known to improve digestion and stimulate kidney and bowel function. Additional diseases that responded to treatment using cacao was anemia, fatigue, fever, low sex drive, respiratory troubles, poor appetite and low breast milk production. In addition to the cacao bean, the oil/butter was used in the treatment of skin problems including eczema, psoriasis and burns. Today, cacao oil is considered a beauty aid in its use as a skin moisturizer, lubricating agent and when combined with the cacao bean, is used to make the chocolate confectionery we're familiar with. All chocolate is derived from the cacao bean/seeds. Spanish nicknamed it as 'black gold'.

With over 300 identifiable chemical compounds, cacao is one of the most complex and pleasurably satisfying foods on the planet. In its raw form, cacao contains anandamide (a euphoric substance), arginine (a natural aphrodisiac), neurotransmitters that stimulate and balance brain activity, tryptophan (an anti-depressant), antioxidants and other beneficial compounds known to have rejuvenating and anti-ageing elements. Cacao is high in the mineral magnesium, essential for helping the heart to pump blood efficiently, building strong bones, and lowering blood pressure. In fact, the strong desire for chocolate during the female menstrual cycle may be related to cravings for magnesium, a mineral with calming qualities. Cacao is a good source of the beauty mineral sulphur, responsible for healthy skin, nails and hair.

Unprocessed cacao has an enormous 10% antioxidant concentration level. It is twice as high as the antioxidant concentration in processed cocoa and ten times as high as blueberries! Researchers at Cornell University have shown that cocoa contains more antioxidants per cup than a similar serving of red wine or green tea and may be a healthier choice.

 Antioxidants are phenolic substances in our food which have a protective effect on our bodies. They protect out DNA by scavenging the free radicals that cause damage. Free radicals are the by-products of oxygen use by our cells. Antioxidants remove the free radicals and prevent and repair the damage done by them. The protective effects of antioxidants encompass:
  • heart disease
  • macular degeneration
  • diabetes
  • cancer
  • aging
Phenolic compounds (flavanols) are the compounds which protect plants from insects and disease.

The Journal of Clinical Nutrition has reported that the antioxidants in chocolate protect the heart and circulatory system. The magazine Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Nutrition report that eating a few squares of dark chocolate daily increases the blood vessels ability to dilate.
This vasodilation has the benefit of lowering blood pressure. It is also key to why cacao can assist with migraines.

It is thought that dark chocolate also improves the cellular functioning of those cells lining blood vessels. It causes the blood vessels to be more flexible and lowers the risk of hardening of the arteries.
The antioxidants in cacao are also shown to lower LDL (bad cholesterol)
Research done at the University of California at Davis has shown that the antioxidant levels in the blood of subjects that consumed semisweet chocolate rose for six hours afterward.



Some benefits of raw cacao and raw chocolate include:
  •  It acts as a stimulant, so that the energy level in your body will receive a boost and you will feel better about yourself.
  • It can also help to reduce chronic fatigue and general weakness caused by stress.
  • Raw chocolate and raw cacao can help strengthen your cardiovascular system.
  • This special super food helps to regulate your sleep.
  • Most importantly, pure chocolate directly stimulates various neurotransmitters in your brain (such as serotonin) to help reduce depression and to give a sense of euphoria or a sense of well being. Hence, your mood will be uplifted and you will feel better about yourself.
  • Raw chocolate has a very high ORAC quotient. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is an important property, as it denotes the ability to absorb free radicals from your body. This can be a very useful concept for helping you to protect your body from carcinogens and free radicals that cause cancer.
  •  Raw chocolate is also considered as a mild aphrodisiac as it has shown to increase sexual appetite after regular consumption.
  • Raw chocolate can also help stimulate your immune system.

It is not often that science discovers that what we love to eat is also good for us. In the case of chocolate, it has been shown that is the number one antioxidant food on the planet. This is good news to chocoholics everywhere.

What shall we talk about it more? We'll see how the ancient Mayans & Aztecs were treasuring this Cacao.

Bon Apetit
Bournabiski