Author Archive: Joanna Maligaya
Eat Chocolate, Lose Weight
November 29, 2011
I have mentioned in one of my previous blog posts about a new experiment conducted that involved chocolate in weight-loss diets. Well, this one might just up any chocoholic's excitement just a little bit more.
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Chocolate And Chemistry Meet
November 25, 2011
Chocolate is downright mouth-watering, and most of us aren't exactly aware of the reason why we just can't resist it allure. But those who make chocolate pretty much know why people find it irresistible, and it all boils down to chemistry.
Chocolate may be sweet and all that but the main culprit for its unexplainable appeal is the fat, according to Professor Dolores O’Riordan of University College Dublin who is based in the Institute of Food and Health. In a lecture during the Science week named Smart Chemistry – Tasty Food!, she said "The melting of the fat is very important."
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Orange Chocolate Crunch
November 23, 2011
Chocolate is divine all its own. I’d pretty much eat anything that has chocolate in it. But orange and chocolate combination is just downright scrumptious.
The tangy note of orange is just heavenly when united with the sweetness of chocolate. When a certain cake features the combo, it leaves an intricate taste in your mouth. You’ll know it's not just another boring dessert.
You can use this recipe for these up-and-coming holidays and entertain your guests with a cake that has the interesting combination of orange and chocolate with the crunch of walnuts.
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The Love-Hate Thing With Chocolate Milk
November 22, 2011
Chocolate milk has been creating significant buzz lately. I even got the chance to blog about how it was being recommended as the treat of choice this past Halloween. It’s also a well-loved "sports drink" by many athletes and they have it mostly after exercise.
lowfat, no corn syrup
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Eat Chocolate, Feed Children
November 18, 2011
Breakfast Clubs of Canada is a non-profit organization aiming to supply services and financial support to community-based breakfast programs with the backup of their individual and corporate partners who are equally willing to help feed children.
Nation Bank Financial Group has supported Breakfast Clubs of Canada and cooperated this year by presenting Theobroma chocolates as a means for fund-raising. These organic and fair-trade chocolates are individually wrapped inside boxes and sell for $5.
The available flavors are dark chocolate, dark chocolate with a burst of orange, and dark chocolate with raspberry. You can get these treats at National Bank branches from Nov. 28 to Dec. 31. Proceeds will go to school breakfast programs across all Canada.
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The Dark Side of Chocolate History
November 17, 2011
Did you know that some centuries back, the Catholic Church used to associate chocolate with heretical behavior such as blasphemy and even witchcraft? Intriguing? I know.
Does the word 'Inquisition' ring your bell? If not, let me shed some light. The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis (inquiry on heretical perversity), depicts religious overkill, torture, and intolerance. It was the fight against heresy by the Roman Catholic Church.
What certain behavior connects such disheartening event to chocolate, you may ask. Well, it was the act of drinking chocolate alone while attending an event. As morbid as it may sound, there were even stories wherein Charles II, King of Spain, drank chocolate while witnessing Inquisition victims being killed.
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Chocolate Beer Pudding Cake
November 16, 2011
Yep, chocolate and beer pairing is getting so popular I might as well share a recipe that has it.
It may sound bizarre to others who don’t experiment with food much, but beer and chocolate go together splendidly, especially the dark variants. The pairing sounds pretty strange but boy does it work!
People who aren’t crazy about beer often have a fancy for chocolate, so it’s safe to say it’s a win-win recipe. Huge beer fanatics can find flavors in beer that can also be found in chocolate.
With some experimentation, foodies now have come up with something that would make beer fans and chocolate lovers meet halfway. Those who have a sweet tooth are the ones who will enjoy it better, though!
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Chocolate Beer
November 15, 2011
Detroit’s darling candy maker, Sanders Candy, has been around for 136 years already. They are known for their delectable treats namely chocolates, cakes, ice cream, among others. Now, they have ventured into adult treats and partnered with another Detroit classic, Detroit Brewing Co., to come up with a refreshingly unique beer, Sanders Chocolate Stout.
Sanders is reportedly arranging for a huge introduction of this 1-year-old Chocolate Stout into the market later this month and is also planning to make a chocolate-based dessert wine.
"Craft beers are becoming more popular as consumers look for local, authentic, handcrafted foods and beverages with passionate food artisans and entrepreneurs behind them," said a spokesperson for the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Louise Kramer. Additionally, "chocolate is hugely popular with consumers of specialty foods." True enough, chocolate was named as 2011’s top specialty food.
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New York Chocolate Show
November 11, 2011
Event International is presenting a show that would make any chocophile’s heart melt. The 14th Annual New York Chocolate Show, the largest event solely dedicated to chocolate, started yesterday November 10th and will be taking place until Sunday November 13th at the Metropolitan Pavilion on 125 W 18th St.
More than 65 national and international chocolate companies are gathering to offer their finest chocolates and chocolate-inspired products to entice all the chocoholics who will pay a visit.
Hurry up and get to the show! You don’t want miss the chance to treat yourself to different head-tilting good chocolates in this once a year event. If you have any self-control remaining, you can even buy chocolates for the self-confessed chocoholics you may personally know.
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The Guardian of Chocolate?
November 10, 2011
If you already have gone through the previous blog posts, you may have learned that chocolate can trace its origins back to the Aztecs. They have associated cacao trees with the god of agriculture, Quetzalcoatl. Legend has it that Quetzalcoatl was held responsible for bringing cacao to earth. His actions were frowned upon so he got kicked out of the heavens for giving it to humans. As he escaped, he swore to return one day as a “fair-skinned bearded man” to save the earth.
The earliest Aztecs highly thought of the cacao plant. They considered it as a source of strength and wealth and Quetzalcoatl was said to be its guardian which explains why cacao beans were used as their form of currency.
The Aztecs were among the first ones to work with cacao beans. However, they initially didn’t use this for any culinary purpose whatsoever. They only developed interest in its edibility after observing certain animals, particularly monkeys. This is why only the pulp of the cacao tree was used at first, only after a while did they start utilizing the beans.
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