Cacao – The Healthy Bean With a Long History
The cacao bean has a much longer history than most people even realize, it can be traced back to ancient texts where it was used in ceremonies, for medicinal uses and in cooking. There have been archaeological digs that have recovered whole cacao beans and vessels, which were believed to be used for drinking cacao and can be dated as far back as Belize between 600- 400 B.C. This was such an important bean to some civilizations that it was used as currency.
This bean is found on trees that can reach between 15 and 26 feet in height and are botanically a part of the evergreen tree family Sterculiaceae and are native to tropical regions. The pod filled beans that grow on these trees are, what is used to make both cocoa and chocolate.
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Belgian Chocolate – A Taste That Can’t Be Beat!
Picture this on your mind: it is a food that has a circular shell-like shaped object with a diameter of at least one inch; it has shallow grooves around and is about ½ inch thick; it is slightly soft to the touch and may melt if you hold on to it for long and then when you take a bite, a burst of wonderful flavors will fill your mouth. What is it? If you answer Belgian chocolate, you are correct! Belgian chocolates are these handmade bite-sized delectable filled with nuts and cream or dark chocolate that will leave your mouth craving for more.
Even though Belgian chocolates are similar to any other chocolate made from cacao seeds, these are considered to be the gourmet standard for chocolates the world over! Belgian chocolates have been around since Leopold II of Belgium colonized Congo in 1885. Belgians were able to import cocoa beans from cacao trees planted on the rich land of Congo. Leopold II was able to take advantage of the country’s cocoa beans supply and ever since Belgian chocolatiers concocted different kinds of tasty treats. However, Belgian chocolates made its mark when a Swiss family from Brussels created the praline in 1912.
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Chocolate Is Good For You!
Great news on the chocolate front! Chocolate is good for you. Under certain circumstances.
Katherine Tallmadge, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, says, in the February 9, 2005, WASHINGTON POST, that “cacao, or cocoa beans, contain ‘flavanols,’ naturally occurring plant compounds also found in tea, red wine, and apples. Their properties have been studied as heart disease inhibitors.”
Carl L. Keen, chair of the department of nutrition at University of California, Davis, states in the same article that “the flavanols in cocoa help maintain a healthy vascular system. They reduce blood clotting — an aspirin like effect — reduce oxidative damage and improve blood flow.”