Chocoholics

Rich, Dark, Sweet and Irresistible.....

No, this is not someone’s advert(anuncio) in the Lonely (solitarios) Hearts section of the local newspaper to try and find her dream man! This is something that is a lot easier to find – chocolate!

 

An Aztec Drink

Although (aunque) we usually associate chocolate with the Swiss, it was Christopher Columbus who first brought it to Spain in 1502 after his fourth and final voyage. He saw some natives transporting some cocoa beans (granos de cacao) and decided to bring them back to the Spanish court. However,(Sin embargo) King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were not very interested in them and it was another Spanish explorer, Hernando Cortés, who demonstrated what they were used for. He brought back some more beans and the utensils needed to make a drink. The original chocolate drink was very different from the Cola Cao or Nesquick that we know today as it contained chillies! In fact, the original Aztec name, xocolatl, meant “bitter (amarga) water”. But the Spanish had the brilliant idea of replacing the chillies with sugar. And so it became an instant success(éxito) among (entre) the Spanish royalty and nobility.  


From the Court to the Factory (fábrica)

It was a Spanish princess, Anne of Austria, who took the Spanish habit of drinking chocolate to the French court when she married Louis XIII of France. From there its use spread (se esparció) rapidly among the other European courts and then to other levels of society. As a result of this, cocoa bean production was increased and chocolate became cheaper and more widely available.(disponible) People began experimenting with it and in 1828 a Dutch chocolate maker patented a cheap method of extracting the fat(grasa) from the roasted (asadas) cocoa beans. By using a hydraulic press, he created a type of cake that could be made into a fine powder (polvo) known as cocoa. Not only did this process make it much easier to make a better chocolate drink, but it could also be combined with sugar and cocoa butter (matequilla de cacao) to make a solid. An English chocolate maker, Joseph Storrs Fry, produced the world’s first eating chocolate in 1849. But it was the Swiss who revolutionized chocolate. Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolate maker, had the idea of using condensed milk (this had been invented by a Swiss chemist, Henri Nestlé) to make a new type of chocolate, milk chocolate. And another Swiss chocolate maker, Rudolphe Lindt, invented a process called “conching”, which improved (mejoró) the quality of the chocolate by making it easier to blend.(mezclar)

It’s True! Chocolate is Good for You!

When the fashion of drinking chocolate became more popular, many people believed that it could cure illnesses.(enfermedades) In fact some recent studies have shown that eating chocolate can reduce the risk of a heart attack thanks to the anti-oxidants it contains. The British Medical Journal tells us that eating moderate quantities of chocolate can increase longevity. And most experts agree (están de acuerdo) that chocolate can help to reduce depression as it stimulates the release (liberar) of endorphins. These are natural hormones in the body that produce feelings of pleasure and happiness. Chocolate was considered an aphrodisiac by the Aztecs and some researchers think that chocolate makes the brain release a chemical (sustancia química) similar to that produced during a passionate love affair.(aventura amorosa)   


Chocoholics of the World Unite!

A chocoholic (adicto al chocolate) is a person who has an addiction and constant craving (antojo) for chocolate. So, if you are one of these, you can even join an online club: http://www.virtualchocolate.com/chocoholicclub/.

 

They will give you a certificate and a membership card.(carnet de socio) !!!!