Hot chocolate

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Hot Chocolate

For the musical band, see Hot Chocolate.

Hot chocolate, hot cocoa, drinking chocolate or just cocoa is a beverage, usually served hot, typically consisting of chocolate or cocoa powder, milk or hot water, and sugar. While nomenclature varies, drinks described as hot cocoa generally do not contain cocoa butter, while drinks described as hot chocolate may contain cocoa butter.

The beverage became popular in Europe after being introduced from what is now Mexico in the New World.

When made with white chocolate, the beverage is referred to as white hot chocolate.

Hot chocolate is frequently served with whipped cream or marshmallows on top.

Silver Chocolate pot, France, 1779 Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Silver Chocolate pot, France, 1779 ^[1] Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Limoges porcelain hot chocolate set

1 History
- 1.1 Origins
- 1.2 European adaptation
2 Terminology
3 Place in modern society
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Further information: History of chocolate

[edit] Origins

The name chocolate most likely comes from the Nahuatl language, indigenous to central Mexico, although it may have been influenced by the Mayan languages. One popular theory is that it comes from the Nahuatl word xocolātl (pronounced [ʃoˈkolaːtɬ]) derived from xocolli, bitter, and atl, water,^[2] although some early writers believed that the name was originally derived from the sound the chocolate liquid made while being prepared.^{[citation needed]} Chocolate is made from Cocoa, the dried and partially fermented seeds of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), a small (4–8 m tall (15-26 ft)) evergreen tree native to the deep tropical region of the Americas. Recent genetic studies suggest that the most common genotype of the plant originated in the Amazon basin and was gradually transported by humans throughout South and Central America. Early forms of another genotype have also been found in what is now Venezuela. The scientific name Theobroma means "food of the gods". The fruit, called a cacao pod, is ovoid, 15–30 cm (6-12 in) long and 8–10 cm (3-4 in) wide, ripening yellow to orange, and weighs about 500 g (1 lb) when ripe. The pod contains 20 to 40 seeds, usually called "beans", embedded in a white pulp, which was originally the only part of the plant that was eaten.^{[citation needed]}

The chocolate residue found in several jars from the site of Puerto Escondido in Honduras, from around 1100 B.C. is the earliest evidence to date of the use of cacao. Slightly later, around 600-400 B.C. there are traces from jars in Belize. An early Classic (460-480 A.D.) period Maya tomb from the site of Rio Azul, Guatemala, had vessels with the Maya glyph for cacao on them and had residue of a chocolate drink. The Maya ground coco seeds into a paste, and mixed it with water, cornmeal, chile peppers, and other ingredients. They then poured the drink back and forth from a cup to a pot until a thick foam developed. Chocolate was available to Maya of all social classes, although the wealthy drank chocolate from elaborately decorated vessels.^[3]

By the 1400s, the Aztecs gained control of a large part of Mesoamerica, and adopted cacao into their culture. They associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility, and often used chocolate beverages as sacred offerings. The Aztecs consumed a bitter, frothy, spicy drink called xocoatl, made much the same way as the Mayan chocolate drinks. It was often seasoned with vanilla, chile pepper, and achiote, (which we know today as annatto).^[3] Xocoatl was believed to fight fatigue, a belief that is probably attributable to the theobromine content. Because cacao would not grow in the dry central Mexican highlands and had to be imported, chocolate was an important luxury good throughout the Aztec empire, and cocoa beans were often used as currency.

Moctezuma introduced Hernán Cortés to his favourite drink, "chocolatl", which he served in a golden goblet. "The chocolatl was a potation of chocolate flavored with vanilla and spices, and so prepared as to be reduced to a froth of the consistency of honey, which gradually dissolved in the mouth and was taken cold."^[4] Montezuma's court reportedly drank about 2000 cups of chocolate per day, 50 of which were consumed by Montezuma himself.^[3] He supposedly drank the beverage in goblets before entering his harem, leading to the belief that it was an aphrodisiac.

The xocolatl was said to be an acquired taste. Jose de Acosta, a Spanish Jesuit missionary who lived in Peru and then Mexico in the later 16th century, wrote of it:

Loathsome to such as are not acquainted with it, having a scum or froth that is very unpleasant taste. Yet it is a drink very much esteemed among the Indians, where with they feast noble men who pass through their country. The Spaniards, both men and women, that are accustomed to the country, are very greedy of this Chocolate. They say they make diverse sorts of it, some hot, some cold, and some temperate, and put therein much of that "chili"; yea, they make paste thereof, the which they say is good for the stomach and against the catarrh.^[5]

Like many other New World foods, Spanish explorers soon introduced chocolate to Europe.

[edit] European adaptation

Hot chocolate with marshmallow

White hot chocolate.

After defeating Montezuma’s warriors, and demanding that the Aztec nobles hand over their valuables, Cortés returned to Spain in 1528 with galleons loaded with cocoa beans and chocolate drink making equipment. The court of King Charles V soon adopted it, and "chocolate" became a fashionable drink popular with the Spanish upper class. Additionally, cocoa was given as a dowry when members of the Spanish Royal Family married other European aristocrats. It took nearly a century for chocolate to achieve popularity throughout Europe, as the Spanish kept the delicacy secret.

The first recorded shipment of chocolate to the Old World for commercial purposes was in a shipment from Veracruz to Sevilla in 1585. It was still served as a beverage, but the Europeans added sugar to counteract the natural bitterness and removed the chili pepper, replacing it with vanilla, cinnamon, and other spices. Sweet, hot chocolate was born.^[3] Changes to the taste meant that by the 17th century it was a luxury item among the European nobility.

In the late 17th century, Hans Sloane, president of the Royal College of Physicians visited Jamaica. There he tried chocolate and considered it "nauseous," but found it became more palatable when mixed with milk ^[6] When he returned to England, he brought the recipe with him, introducing milk chocolate to Europe. By the 18th Century, so-called "Chocolate Houses" were as popular as coffee houses. The first "Chocolate House" opened in London in 1657. Because it was so expensive, hot chocolate was considered a drink for the elite.

"Hot chocolate" is a retronym and the drink was originally simply called "chocolate". The subsequent popularity of the "chocolate bar" forced the invention of the term "hot chocolate" to distinguish it from "chocolate" which now means solid chocolate.

In 1828, Coenraad Johannes van Houten developed the first cocoa powder producing machine in the Netherlands, which generated a less acidic, more processed cocoa, now known as dutch-process cocoa. The new form of cocoa was easier to blend with warm milk or water.

[edit] Terminology

Some people use the terms hot chocolate and hot cocoa interchangeably, while others make a distinction between the two terms. Hot cocoa is made from a powdered mix of cocoa, sugar and thickeners, without cocoa butter. Hot chocolate is made directly from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter. Thus the major difference between the two is the cocoa butter, which makes hot cocoa significantly lower in fat than chocolate, while still preserving all the intrinsic health-giving properties of chocolate [3].

Hot chocolate can be made with dark, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces and stirred into milk with the addition of sugar. American hot cocoa powder often includes powdered milk or other dairy ingredients so it can make a drink without using milk. A modern American concept is the addition of marshmallows to hot chocolate. Some packaged hot cocoa mixes come with small dry marshmallows.

In the UK, "hot chocolate" is a sweet chocolate drink made with hot milk or water, and powder containing chocolate, sugar, and powdered milk. "Cocoa" usually refers to a similar drink made with just hot milk and cocoa powder, then sweetened to taste with sugar.

In some cafes in Belgium, one who orders a "warme chocolade" or "chocolat chaud" would receive a cup of steamed white milk and a small bowl of bittersweet chocolate chips to dissolve in the milk. The beverage is usually accompanied with a complementary piece of yellow cake, speculaas, or Belgian chocolate.

[edit] Place in modern society

In the foam on this cup of milo, some of the chocolate powder has yet to be dissolved.

Today hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world, although there are still two main styles of the drink, one having a much thicker consistency than the other.

In America and parts of Europe, the drink is most popular in instant form, made with hot water or milk from a packet containing mostly cocoa powder, sugar, and dry milk. This is the thinner of the two styles, it is very sweet and often topped with marshmallows, whipped cream or, in the UK at least, a piece of solid chocolate, often a Cadbury's Flake bar.

In Europe, where it is especially popular, it is often very thick, due to being made directly from chocolate (such as Italy's cioccolata densa, ubiquitous in their bars and restaurants). The Germans are also known for very thick, heavy chocolate. With the influence of restaurant pastry chefs and chocolatiers, this style is creeping into American culture, where hot chocolate is traditionally a winter drink of the aforementioned powder-based variety, associated in folk images with snowstorms and sledding. In Spain, hot chocolate and churros was the traditional working-man's breakfast. This Spanish style of hot chocolate is very thick, having the consistency of warm chocolate pudding. Today, in cities like Madrid, Spaniards mark the traditional end to a night out by dipping churros into this very thick hot chocolate.

In Mexico, hot chocolate remains a popular national drink. Traditionally, Mexican hot chocolate includes semi-sweet chocolate, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla.^[7] These ingredients are commonly sold in circular chocolate tablets which can be dissolved into hot milk or cream then blended until the mixture develops a creamy froth. The two most popular brands of chocolate tablets are Abuelita and Ibarra which are sold in stores throughout Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Mexican cinnamon hot chocolate is traditionally served alongside a variety of Mexican pastries known as pan dulce.^[8]

A study has shown that hot chocolate contains more antioxidants than wine and tea therefore reducing the risk of heart disease[4]. New research claims that drinking hot chocolate before bedtime promotes better sleep^{[citation needed]}.