Chocolate: For gods and lovers

by Asitha Jayawardena

Over 500 years ago, when explorer Christopher Columbus took cocoa beans to Spain, no one showed much interest.

Seventeen years later, conquistador Hernando Cortez brought to Spain the original recipe of the drink chocolate prepared out of cocoa beans. Still, the Spaniards were not much interested about this bitter drink. However, things changed when sugar was added to it.

Although the Spanish kept the techniques of its cultivation and manufacture a secret, an Italian broke the chocolate monopoly in 1606 by bringing the recipe to Italy. Thereafter, chocolate spread fast. It was only in the late 1700s 'the eating chocolate' was first produced.

In the middle of the seventeenth century, cocoa appeared in England. Chocolate houses became important meeting places for the rich to enjoy chocolate drinks. By 1763 chocolate was so popular in the country that beer and ale makers demanded legislation restricting its manufacture. When chocolate tax was lowered in 1853, the prices fell and not-so-rich English people could enjoy eating and drinking chocolate.

What is chocolate made of? Chocolate begins in a tree called Theobroma (food of the gods) cacao, which grows in the tropical region? mainly in Central and South America and West Africa. Its bitter seed is used for chocolate making.

The most popular variety of chocolate is milk chocolate, which is produced by mixing finely ground cocoa powder with cocoa butter, sugar and dried milk. Cocoa butter is rich in fat while cocoa powder is a mixture of protein, fat and carbohydrate.

Quick-energy benefits of chocolate

Aztec ruler Montezuma II quite correctly believed that the dark bitter liquid he was drinking gave him strength and energy.

Chocolate supplies energy and it supplies energy fast! Napoleon always carried chocolate with him on his campaigns. Sir Edmund Hillary took chocolate with him in his mission to conquer the Mount Everest. And chocolate goes aboard space flights. Even today, soldiers and militants depend on chocolate for quick energy supply.

Chocolate is perhaps the most commonly craved food in the world. Some of the "chocoholics" believe they cannot live without it. However, reason for this strong desire is not yet completely understood.

For years, researchers have studied chocolate cravings. Several bioactive compounds present in chocolate can theoretically contribute to the feeling of well-being. There are theobromine and caffeine, which are stimulants, and tyramine and phenylethylamine, which are similar to a central nervous system stimulant called amphetamine. However, these are present in other foods that are not so strongly craved.

Researchers have found that cocoa-filled capsules containing all the compounds present in chocolate fail to satisfy "chocoholics". It therefore seems that the pleasant sensory experience of eating chocolate is necessary to satisfy chocoholics' desire.

These properties include smooth, melt- in-your-mouth textures and sweet tastes commonly found in all types of chocolate.

Strong desire for chocolate is also found to be influenced by culture. A study revealed that the frequency of chocolate craving was more than twice as high in American women as in American men while such a gender difference was absent among the Spanish.

However, the reason for the close relationship between chocolate and lovers seems to be clear. According to medical doctors Donald F Klein and Michael R Lebowitz, the brain of a person "in love" is awash with a substance called phenylethylamine, which is found in chocolate.

Chocolate is the food of lovers as well as it is the food of the gods!

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