Healthy Chocolate
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 9:30AM
;)
The feathered serpent gave the KAKAW to the Maya, after the gods found it in a mountain along with other plants.
Every year around April time, the Maya would celebrate the Kakaw festival, dedicated to their cacao God, Ek Chuah, with a ritual that involved exchanging gifts and offerings of Cacao. Some animal sacrifices, too…
But what is this Cacao all about?
The Cacao fruit is the pod that contains the seeds, or the beans, that are being used to produce all the chocolate products we consume these days. The cacao beans are usually fermented, dried, roasted, de-shelled, and then the oil (or cacao butter) is extracted and re-introduced in various ratios to create different textures.
A lot has been said about the health benefits of eating chocolate. Cacao was considered the food of the Gods (its botanical name, Theobroma Cacao, literally translates as “Food of the Gods”) and for some very good reasons:
It is one of the richest natural sources of antioxidants, magnesium and chromium. It also has high amounts of iron, fiber, phosphorus, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, C and E. It contains Theobromine which is a very mild stimulant (compared to caffeine) that dilates blood vessels, is effective as a cough remedy, and even helps fight tooth decay.
And of course the famous PEA (Phenylethylamine): the happy chemical, which makes us excited, joyous and focused.
There are also some cons related to eating chocolate, like obesity, acne and some claims it might contain lead. All of these are a result of the manufacturing of the chocolate (overheating, added sugar/milk/various additives etc) and have little to nothing at all with the cacao bean itself.
Which means that you can eat a perfectly healthy, vibrant, nutritious chocolate bar if you make sure it is in its pure form with no “baddies” added.
To get more information about cacao, it’s history, mythology, all the benefits of consuming it, and even create your own chocolate bar! - join me in the modern version of the traditional Kakaw festival at the (Changing) Maya Chocolate Party.
Reader Comments (1)
Will there be another traditional Kakaw festival at the (Changing) Maya Chocolate Party, this year?