When All Else Fails THINK CHOCOLATE!

A slightly tongue in cheek look at CHOCOLATE, one of our favorite sweets.

Did you know that we spend over 16 billion dollars a year on chocolate goodies? Now that is some serious coin. Why this fascination and love for chocolate?

I don't think I really have to explain the love of chocolate to anyone who has tasted it. Very few people hate chocolate. It is just too good.

While chocolate may not be as good for you as say, carrots and apples, it certainly in moderation won't do you any harm. Even diabetics can have chocolate.  Especially unsweetened  chocolate. My hubby who is diabetic enjoys a chocolate treat every now and then and this is allowed by his regimen to control his diabetes. Contrary to popular opinion diabetics can have some sugar. Always check with your doctor to find out how much would be allowed for you.

Need Vitamin A and calcium in your diet? Eat half a chocolate bar of milk chocolate. Chocolate also has antioxidants that help prevent hardening of the arteries. The problem of course is that chocolate has far more calories in it than does a cup of tea which offers the same protection. But is it nearly as much fun to drink a cup of tea as it is to drink a cup of cocoa? I  think not!

A study from Harvard a few years ago showed that folks who eat chocolate live a bit longer than those who don't.  Obviously eating a bit of chocolate now and then is not going to hurt you and just might help. Would you be as happy chomping down on carrots?

And since we buy so much of it a year, the vote seems to be with chocolate rather than the carrots. :)

Chocolate grows on trees. The seed pods are about the size of a football and roughly that shape too. Inside the pod are the beans and that is where the chocolate is but at this stage it is in the form of beans only. The beans  are white and smell fruity. The beans are stripped out of the cacao pods and left out to roast brown in the sun for about a month. Now they have that familiar chocolate smell we all know and love.

Depending on the grower, the beans can now be aged for up to a year and then... and then.... they are trundled off to the plant to be turned into that delectable smooth concoction we all crave.

Down through the ages humans have enjoyed chocolate.  In the 17th century only the rich could afford cocoa. The first chocolate factory in the U.S. began in the mid 1700s.  Milton Hershey (now you knew that name was going to come up didn't you?) , a caramel candy maker  created the first milk chocolate bars for mass consumption and we have never looked back!

It is not within the limits of this guide to discuss all the kinds of chocolate and who makes the best and what is the best chocolate. Like fine wine, the proof is in the tasting. Somehow I don't see tasting various chocolates to determine for yourself what you consider to be the best, that onorous a task at all, do you?

FAQ: Is white chocolate really chocolate?

Yes it is. It is cocoa mixed with butter, sugar, milk and flavors. But it has no chocolate liquor in it, hence its white color.

What is cocoa?

Cocoa is chocolate liquor, the very essence of chocolate from the heart of the bean. To make cocoa, most of the cocoa butter is removed for the chocolate liquor and then what is left is crumbled to make the dry cocoa with which we are familiar.

All other kinds of chocolate semisweet, sweet and milk chocolate have varying amounts of sugar and flavorings added to the mix.

I hope you have enjoyed our little walk down the chocolate lane.

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