Chocolate anytime, anywhere

For me I have always had a love affair with chocolate. In particular dark chocolate in recent years. It's always been my go-to mood changer for the gloomy days and times just to reward myself after a meal. Or just because I feel like it. But for me there is something magical about cacao and it's been scientifically proven.

Coca pods containing the beans

The chocolate we know is made from the beans found in the fruit of the tropical tree called Theobroma cacao which translate to food of the gods in Greek. There are two parts of the cacao bean which combined makes the wonderful basis for chocolate:

- cocoa is the solids of the bean

- cocoa butter is the fat component

Mixed these two components together with sugar and other ingredients, you get the chocolate we are all familiar with purchasing.

One of my favourite flavour combinations is dark chocolate with raspberries. White chocolate equally goes well with raspberries too. But one surprising flavour pairing I enjoy, goes back to when chocolate was first eaten by the Aztecs and Mayans; chocolate with chilli pepper. It was historically called "Xocoatl" and was a bitter and spicy drink which was used ward off fatigue. Cocoa was a very important luxury good which was even used as currency.

I have baked often with chocolate, from making a Bailey's chocolate mouse, chocolate cheesecake, muffins and black forest cake. But I have yet used chocolate in a savoury dish which I will take on in as a New Year challenge.

But can I really justify eating chocolate? Well I don't eat bars of chocolate every day. Since eating predominately dark chocolate, I tend to eat a few squares a night rather than finishing a whole 100 grams bar before you can read the full ingredients list on the back of the pack! But there has been scientific research conducted on the benefits of chocolate.

"Dark chocolate is full of the flavonoids epicatechin and gallic acid, which are antioxidants that help protect blood vessels, promote cardiac health, and prevent cancer. It also has been effectively demonstrated to counteract mild hypertension. In fact, dark chocolate has more flavonoids than any other antioxidant-rich food such as red wine, green and black tea, and blueberries (extract from www.scienceoffood.com)."

In fact the flavonoids epicatechin (natural compounds that are rich in nutrients) which are found in cocoa have been researched and found that may reduce cardiovascular disease risk for those experiencing pre-hypertension.

So there appears to be some science of the benefits of eating dark chocolate. Yay! But like I was going to let science tell me whether or not I should eat chocolate! Hahaha! But in all seriousness I can say I'm not chasing or going out my way to get chocolate delivered to my front door. I always have some at home anyway!

No, I'm not addicted is really what I mean. But I may be reaching for that Lidnt lindor chocolate during time of negativity. So maybe chocolate is my go-to emotionally eating response? But that discussion is for another day. Besides, it's time to get cooking again!