Chocolate, the most beguiling, seductive natural substance, a ubiquitous aphrodisiac. Dark, white or milk? How do you like yours? Pure and simple, perhaps wrapped in foil in the form of a waterdrop? Or encasing an almond, cashew, cherry, cream or mixture of them?
The etymology of the word seems to have come from the Nahuatl, natives of southern Mexico and Central America: chikolātl. For millennia, cacao was food for and from the gods, a sacred ambrosia in Olmec, Maya, and Aztec spiritual rituals. Finding it unappealing to their delicate taste buds, the invading Europeans sweetened it with honey. It quickly found its way into the regal courts of Europe, where it remained in the domain of the nobility who jealously guarded it as their divine right. Legend has it that it became a favorite for Casanova, understandably so given its purported aphrodisiac power.
What was once sequestered in the realm of the gods and their mortal legates over time became available to the masses. Humanize the gods, dethrone their majesties and enjoy what they did. That is the power of secularism and democracy. And economics. Worldwide annual chocolate sales, now in the tens of billions of dollars, are projected to grow at increasingly higher rates.
In 1828, a Dutch chemist figured a way to reduce the cacao bean to powder, hence Dutch cocoa. Nineteen years later, Englishman Thomas Fry reversed the process and created the first chocolate bar by folding melted cacao butter back into Dutch cocoa. It did not take long before John Cadbury marketed the creamy morsels. By 1868, he was packaging them in a heart-shaped tin, and the rest, as ´tis said, is history.
Pre-Lent to post-Lent, it is interesting to see how chocolate has become entwined with Valentine’s Day in the shape of hearts and at Easter in the form of bunnies and eggs. At Halloween, demand again spikes. And then it is pell-mell during the winter holidays as it makes the most splendid of gifts and welcoming treats for guests. I still recall my elder sister, Boots, bringing home a large box of assorted chocolates each Christmas from a local confectioner.
“One!” she’d pointedly say as she held the box. Her second rule was that if you touched it, you ate it. So I had to be judicious making my selection. One and done. Hmm…which has the cherry or coconut encased within the confines of the sweet milk chocolate?
Of course, temptation lurks during the months between because candy bars and other delectable treats fill display racks along supermarket checkout lines. And for me, dark chocolate has become my preference, although whenever a Snickers falls within my line of sight, I become melted chocolate.
What is it, though, about chocolate that makes it such a magical food? Do its inherent chemical compounds bond with welcoming, agreeable host cells in the bloodstream, creating a potion that can transform the most unlikeable character into a charming friend, awaken and sustain passions of the heart, and even bring a moribund, morally uptight community held under the oppressive hand of over-wrought morality back to life?
Those are themes of the novel and film Chocolat. Vianne, the heroine, shows up in a French village right before Lent to open a chocolate shop. There she creates concoctions of mixed forbidden fruits conjured from the bitter-tasting cacao bean. She plants the seed of vitality in a lifeless wasteland, and soon the power of her products — chocolates in various forms from bars to drinks — work their magic.
Medical science is now providing evidence for chocolate’s health benefits, especially dark chocolate. It is being shown to reduce anxiety and clinical depression. The reason seems to be that chocolate enhances serotonin, which helps calm troubled minds. In addition, because of the high amount of flavonoids, it helps reduce cardiovascular disease risks, reduce cell damage and lower blood pressure. What’s not to love?
“Chocolat” is one of my favorite films to watch again and again. It is not only a fun tale, but it also serves to remind us to let go of our uptightness and enjoy life.
Chocolate has a rich history to back up its power. As we know, a cup of hot chocolate on a wintry day can warm any heart. So let me suggest a way out of our quagmire. Mimic Vianne.During the holiday season,host a serotonin-enhancing chocolate party at which every dish and cocktail is chocolate based. Invite every morally, socially, or politically priggish stiff and bah-humbugging Christmas-stealing grinch you know and a few others to sweeten the mix.
You have nothing to lose and much to gain. You might develop lifelong friendships, and your sweet tooth will be pleased. And since chocolate is far better for your health than eggnog, your heart will thank you.
Jerry Fabyanic is the author of “Sisyphus Wins” and “Food for Thought: Essays on Mind and Spirit.” He lives in Georgetown.