Anti-oxidant super stars.
A friend recently brought back some raw cacao beans from Mexico. He stored them is a plastic container, and when I popped the top, the decadent scent of pure cocoa enveloped me. Each bean has a thin shell (like that of an egg), and inside is a small, dark brown bean. They are quite bitter, (at this stage haven't yet been transformed into chocolate) and crunchy. If you are a dark chocolate lover like my husband and I, you will probably be able to deal with the bitterness. If you're used to milk chocolate, you may find it almost impossible to eat.
If you do manage to get past the strong taste, you'll be giving your body a magnificent anti-oxidant and vitamin C boost. Check out this article about how these little cacao beans can serve as the best vitamin pills.
I love Mexico. I had the pleasure of living there about ten years ago, and as an anthropologist, was fascinated by its past, present, and future. I studied the Aztec and Maya cultures at length, so I appreciate what these indigenous traditions have done for modern day Mexico...and the world. One of the Aztec's most fantabulous contributions to the world...you guessed it...CHOCOLATE! They made a drink from it, and called it xocolatl, in their Nahuatl language. They used cacao beans as currency, and it was not until the Spanish conquest that chocolate was exported to Europe.
I vote for chocolate to be used as currency once again - can you imagine?
*Try Ghirardelli's Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree - to die for.
A friend recently brought back some raw cacao beans from Mexico. He stored them is a plastic container, and when I popped the top, the decadent scent of pure cocoa enveloped me. Each bean has a thin shell (like that of an egg), and inside is a small, dark brown bean. They are quite bitter, (at this stage haven't yet been transformed into chocolate) and crunchy. If you are a dark chocolate lover like my husband and I, you will probably be able to deal with the bitterness. If you're used to milk chocolate, you may find it almost impossible to eat.
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| I added my son's crayon for dimension purposes. |
I love Mexico. I had the pleasure of living there about ten years ago, and as an anthropologist, was fascinated by its past, present, and future. I studied the Aztec and Maya cultures at length, so I appreciate what these indigenous traditions have done for modern day Mexico...and the world. One of the Aztec's most fantabulous contributions to the world...you guessed it...CHOCOLATE! They made a drink from it, and called it xocolatl, in their Nahuatl language. They used cacao beans as currency, and it was not until the Spanish conquest that chocolate was exported to Europe.
I vote for chocolate to be used as currency once again - can you imagine?
*Try Ghirardelli's Intense Dark Sea Salt Soiree - to die for.
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