Fill your mug: Hot cocoa vs. hot chocolate
A brief history of that popular, warming drink, Xocolatl
Mention chocolate and most people conjure up images of their favorite bar or dessert which sees chocolate served up in its solid form but for most of chocolates history it has been consumed in a liquid form. The first true chocolate bar was made in 1839 but for some 3000 years before that it was drank by the cup full by in Central America centuries before the Mayan and Aztec empires existed. It was called xocolatl, pronounced sho-koh-la-til.
Xocolatl was made by grinding the cocoa seeds into a paste with cornmeal, chili peppers, and other ingredients. The paste was mixed with water and poured back and forth between vessels to aerate the chocolate drink which made it develop a frothy texture which was served cold. As sugar was not yet available in the Americas, xocolatl was one of those things labeled as an acquired taste.
European explorers first came into contact with chocolate around 1502 and saw cocoa beans and chocolate drink making equipment arrive in Europe around 1528.
The popularity of chocolate grew slowly within nobility and aristocrats. At this time chocolate was very expensive in Europe and cost the equivalent of about $70 a pound.
In the late 17th century it was further discovered that if milk or cream was added to chocolate drinks it was more palatable and milk chocolate was born.
The first cocoa powder extracting machine was created in 1828, which separated the greasy cocoa butter from cacao seeds, leaving the chocolate powder behind. This invention created cocoa powder which was able to be used to stir into water or milk. Later this also led to the invention of chocolate bars by mixing the extracted cocoa powder with small amounts of the separated cocoa butter to form a bar.
This much edited version of the history chocolate does not serve it justice as this incredible foodstuff is more of a potent elixer made up of over 500 different compounds which include caffeine, theobromine, tryptophan, phenylethylamine, flavonoids and possibly works as an aphrodisiac.
Hot chocolate and hot cocoa are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. Traditionally, hot cocoa is a thin, sweetened beverage, made from cocoa powder, sugar, and milk whereas hot chocolate is made with actual chocolate that is shaved or ground into smaller pieces making a richer concoction with a high fat content that produces a thick, bittersweet beverage.
Hot Cocoa
Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup of unsweetened cacao powder
• 1 cup of water
• 3 cups milk
• 3 bananas
• 1 tsp. cinnamon • Pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• Pinch of cayenne
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar Method: Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend on high for several minutes
Once blended you can warm your hot chocolate in a sauce pan and serve warm.