The world loves chocolate and chances are you do too. This enjoyable book will serve to deepen your love and also your understanding of chocolate. After reading this pleasurable and educational account by two leading dieticians, you will agree that chocolate is much more than simply a treat. You will discover it encompasses a culture, a cuisine, a treatment, and much more! This book will help you explore some surprising applications of chocolate to your life: exploring the sensory pleasures of chocolate, entertaining with chocolate, and chocolate’s role in emotional and physical wellness.
The authors begin by revealing how to truly savor chocolate. Even the most avid chocoholics will pick up tips on how to intensify the full chocolate flavor and expand their sensual experience. Next, they illustrate how cultures around the world enjoy chocolate, and how chocolate, more than just a flavor, is part of a lifestyle, holding a special place in holidays and celebrations globally. The authors journey to the rainforest and explore the origins of chocolate. They then trace its history through the centuries, from the Maya and Aztec cultures, where the chocolate phenomenon began. Over the ages, this dark, delectable food has been viewed as a gift from the gods, as valuable as gold, a medical treatment for illness, a social indulgence for the elite, and finally a treat to be enjoyed by everyone.
Today, science has proved what was revealed to ancient civilizations so long ago: chocolate has healing powers. At the end of the 1990s, authors Aaron and Bearden were among the first to communicate to the media the news that dark chocolate may enhance health, helping to launch the first "heart healthy" chocolate brand for a global chocolate company. A recent study by the Research Laboratories of the Catholic University in Campobasso, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of Milan, Italy and published in the Journal of Nutrition claims that 6.7 grams of dark chocolate per day represent the ideal amount for a protective effect against inflammation and subsequent cardiovascular disease. With luscious photography and enticing recipes, this delightful, even mouthwatering, book will bring your appreciation for this gift of Mother Nature to a new level.