Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac?  It depends on who you ask.  Do you want historical evidence, scientific evidence, or would you be satisfied with your own experience?

Chocolate has a history as a powerful potion that dates back to ancient times.  The ancient Mayans drank chocolate liquid during religious ceremonies as an offering to the gods.  And supposedly Montezuma drank chocolate to increase his sexual stamina.

Then there’s Casanova, who has the historical reputation of being the greatest lover of all time (or at least of his time).  Supposedly he liked chocolate better than champagne. In fact, he liked it so much that he drank it every day to increase his virility.

And of course, there’s the romantic association of chocolate to Valentine’s Day, which is a day for lovers.  Somehow during the course of history, the date of February 14th got associated with pagan fertility celebrations, gift-giving and letter sending.  So we now have the Valentine’s Day tradition of giving chocolates to your sweetheart to profess your love. What woman (or man) can resist someone who sends them a big red heart-shaped box of delicious chocolates?  At the very least, it warrants a big hug.

And there really is scientific proof indicating that chocolate is indeed an aphrodisiac.  It contains a chemical (phenylethylamine or PEA) that the brain naturally releases when it experiences emotional pleasure.  Some researchers believe that it’s the brain chemical that causes us to feel like we’re “in love”.  Other researchers say that the PEA in chocolate gets metabolized before it reaches the brain.  So you’ll just have to judge for yourself.

But there are a couple of other ingredients in chocolate that are scientifically proven to at least make us feel good.  Tryptophan creates serotonin, which is well known for being responsible for our feeling of well-being.  And chocolate also has been shown to increase endorphins, which are the neurochemical that are responsible for “runner’s high”.

It’s safe to say that most people are more in the mood to be romantic when they feel good than when they don’t.  So maybe the next time your partner says “not tonight honey, I have a headache”, you could try giving him or her a big piece of chocolate to turn the mood around.  At least it couldn’t hurt.  And who knows, it may even work.

Have you ever wondered how dark chocolate is made?  It’s an interesting and complicated process.  All chocolate (including white chocolate, which doesn’t taste like chocolate at all) is made from cacao seeds.  But there is a point in the processing where dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate go their separate ways.

At the beginning, the cacao seed is roasted to dry out its outer covering, or hull.  Then it is sent through a process called cracking.  This breaks the hull and separates it from the rest of the seed.  The hull gets discarded and the parts of the seed that remain are called the “nibs”.  The nibs consist of about half cocoa butter and half cocoa solids (which contain the chocolate flavor).

At this point, the nibs go through a process of crushing and heating.  It turns them into a thick paste, or “chocolate liquor”.  Some of the chocolate liquor then gets pressed and separated into cocoa butter and cocoa powder.  Then some of the cocoa butter gets added back into the chocolate liquor so that it will remain solid at room temperature.  This becomes the base ingredient for milk chocolate and dark chocolate.

At this point, sugar, vanilla, and lecithin are added.  If milk solids are added to the mixture, then milk chocolate is made.  If no milk solids are added, dark chocolate is made.  Dark chocolate is further categorized as sweet dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, and dark chocolate.  Each category contains varying amounts of cocoa solids.  Sweet dark chocolate contains the fewest cocoa solids, sometimes as low as only 20 to 40%.  Semi-sweet chocolate contains about 35% cocoa solids.  Bittersweet chocolate usually contains about 50% cocoa solids.  And dark chocolate contains 60% to 90% cocoa solids.

If you’re used to the taste of milk chocolate, true dark chocolate can take some getting used to.  You may want to work your way up to it gradually by trying some semi sweet and bittersweet chocolates first.  But those who acquire the taste for dark chocolate never willingly eat milk chocolate again.

Surprisingly, people who eat dark chocolate report that they don’t get the same chocolate cravings that are reported by people who eat milk chocolate.  This is probably because it’s really the sugar that causes those cravings, and dark chocolate contains much less sugar than milk chocolate.

Dark chocolate is also a way for people with milk allergies to enjoy eating chocolate.  And there’s a long list of studies proving the other health benefits of dark chocolate.  So it’s definitely worthwhile to develop the taste.

MOCHA DELIGHT

This is as light as air yet so rich it sticks to the spoon! The coffee tastes fabulous with the rich chocolate, too.

Makes 6 espresso cups or 4 ramekins: Prep 20 mins: Chill 6 hours: Cal per portion 220

175g 6 oz plain cooking chocolate
50 ml 2 fl oz strong dark coffee
15g ½ oz butter
3 eggs, separated

1.    Put chocolate and coffee in a pan together and melt them over a low heat. Stir until smooth. Remove from heat and cool for 5 mins, then stir in butter and egg yolks one by one.
2.    Whisk the egg whites until they are softly peaking. Add a couple of spoonfuls to the chocolate mixture and keep stirring until the mixture is slightly loosened, then fold in the remaining whites. Divide the mixture between the cups.
3.    Chill for 6 hours in the fridge and then serve with single or whipped cream

For a quick and easy way to make lots of cakes, try these chocolate sponges with crunchy Maltesers - they’re ideal for parties and kids will love them.

Makes 16 squares: Prep 12 mins: Cook 30 mins: Cal per portion 310

250g 8 oz self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
250g 8 oz soft margarine
250g 8 oz caster sugar
4 eggs beaten
2 x 37g packets Maltesers

1.    Line a 26 cm square tin with silicone paper then preheat the oven to Mark 3/160°C/325°F. Put all of the ingredients, except the Maltesers, into a bowl and beat until smooth.
2.    Pour the mixture into the lined tin and push the Maltesers into the mixture so they are covered. Bake for 30 mins or until the cake is firm to the touch.
3.    Allow the sponge to cool in the tin for 5 mins then remove it and cool on a rack. Dust lightly with icing sugar and then cut into squares to serve.

When you hear the phrase “drinking chocolate” do you automatically think of “hot chocolate mix”?  Most people do.  So what’s the big difference?  The three biggest differences are the quality of the taste, ease of preparation, and the health benefits

“Drinking chocolate” is made from real chocolate, so it has all of the rich flavor that a piece of delicious chocolate has.  The cocoa in most hot chocolate mixes, on the other hand, undergoes a lot of processing the removes the natural oils.  Most processed cocoa mixes just don’t have the same rich flavor that unprocessed chocolate has.

Hot chocolate is typically a mixture of dried processed cocoa, dried milk solids and refined sugar.  Usually all you have to do is add hot water and a marshmallow, and it’s ready to drink.  Drinking chocolate typically comes in the form of chunks or chocolate shavings, and it takes more time to prepare than hot chocolate from a mix.

In order to prepare drinking chocolate, you have to carefully melt it first in a double boiler or by adding hot liquids, like milk, cream or water.  Then you have to whisk the liquids and the melted chocolate together carefully, making sure that you don’t scorch the milk.  Add a sweetener to suit your taste and you’re ready to enjoy your delicious hot treat.

Although the preparation really only takes 10 to 15 minutes, it can seem like a long time if you’re used to using hot chocolate mix. But once you’ve had the experience of sitting down with a freshly made hot cup of rich drinking chocolate, there will be no doubt in your mind that it’s worth the extra time and effort.

As for health benefits, it’s pretty clear which one is the winner.  Everyone knows that foods that have less processing are healthier than processed foods, and it’s no different with chocolate.  Hot chocolate is a mixture of dried cocoa, dried milk solids, and refined sugar.  All of those ingredients are heavily processed foods.

But a good quality drinking chocolate has the same health benefits as any other good quality chocolate.  It’s healthy for the heart, and lowers blood pressure.  And it increases serotonin, which regulates your feeling of well-being.  It not only tastes good, it’s good for you, too.