Stories to fuel your mind

Dark, Milk, Lite Hot Chocolate

Story by Joe Leary

Designer Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate was not always the sweet, rich and creamy drink we cozy up to today. The Aztecs drank it but as a cold drink flavored with wine and chili peppers, and not at all sweet. It wasn’t until after its introduction to Europe in the 1500s that the Spanish began to serve it hot, sweetened and without the chili peppers. And it was the English that added milk for an after dinner treat. There is a difference between hot cocoa and hot chocolate. The terms are often used interchangeably, but technically they are as different as white chocolate

and bittersweet chocolate. Hot cocoa is made from cocoa powder, which is chocolate pressed free of all its richness, meaning the fat of cocoa butter. Hot chocolate is made from chocolate bars melted into cream. It is a rich decadent drink. Archeologists tell us that the Olmecs, the oldest civilization of the Americas (1500-400 BC), were probably the first users of cacao, followed by the Maya. A drink called ‘chocolatl’ made from roasted cocoa beans, water and a little spice, was their most important use but cocoa beans were also valued as a currency. Because cocoa beans were valuable, they were given as gifts at ceremonies such as a child’s coming of age and at religious ceremonies.

Hot chocolate is Hot and we’re not talking the kind that you get at the local hockey rink. We’re talking decadence in a steaming hot mug. Just as coffee and tea have gone gourmet, so has hot chocolate. We combed the streets to find you the best quality dark and milk, organic and natural hot chocolate mixes available on the market today.

Marie Belle
www.mariebelle.com
Aztec Original Hot Chocolate 285g $19.99
Aztec Dark Hot Chocolate 285g $19.99
Aztec Spicy Hot Chocolate 285g $19.99
Café Negro Hot Chocolate 285g $19.99
Available at
Gourmet Warehouse
Homewerx

Thomas Haas
www.thomashaas.com
604.924.1847
Aztec Hot Chocolate 350g $19.95
Classic Hot Chocolate 350g $19.95
Extra Dark Hot Chocolate 350g $19.95
Available at
Thomas Haas
128-998 Harbourside Drive
North Vancouver

Related Articles