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THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, SEPTEMBER 3, 2011
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Craving for chocolate? Maze
Chocolate! Just hearing the word makes your mouth water and you immediately start fantasising about the different types available. Kids, adults, boys, girls, everyone loves chocolate — and for good reason! Want to learn more about this delicious treat? Keep reading!
White Chocolate
History
Experience the magic!
The tasty secret of the cacao tree was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. This tree contains seeds that can be processed into chocolate. The story of how chocolate grew from a local beverage into a global sweet is long but quite fascinating. The first people known to have made chocolate were from ancient Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Mayans and the Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink. Later, the Spaniards brought the seeds back home to Spain, where new recipes were created. Eventually, the drink became popular throughout Europe. Since then, new innovations have changed the texture and taste of chocolate, but it still remains one of the world’s favorite flavours.
White chocolate gets its name from the cocoa butter it contains, but does not contain any other cocoa products. As a result, it has no pronounced chocolate taste, but commonly tastes like vanilla or other added flavouring.
Chocolate is magical! You don’t believe me? Try having chocolate when you’re feeling upset about something...it will immediately
cheer you up. That’s because chocolate literally makes you ‘feel good!’ Not only does chocolate cheer you up, but scientists have found reason to believe that chocolate is good for your body in general... but only the dark kind! So don’t start attacking every chocolate bar you see from now on!
Fun Facts • World’s oldest candy bar? Jane Marshall owns a bar of chocolate that’s 104 years old. She took a taste 53 years ago.
• Ancient Aztecs thought chocolate had magical powers; like the ability to give them strength. • The word chocolate comes from the Aztec word xocolatl, meaning, bitter water. • Cocoa beans were used as currency by the Aztecs and the Mayans. • Napoleon took chocolate along with him during his military campaigns and had it whenever he wanted to boost his energy. • The chocolate chip cookie is the official state cookie of Massachusetts.
Types You won’t be surprised to know that there are many different types of chocolate and you’re probably familiar with more than just a few.
Cocoa powder Cocoa powder gives an intense chocolate taste and is available in processed or natural varieties. Natural cocoa powder is light brown, with a strong chocolate flavour. SOURCE: SODAHEAD.COM
Unsweetened chocolate This is also known as “bitter” or “baking” chocolate and is made of ground cocoa beans. Although it looks and smells like chocolate, it has a bitter taste and is not meant to be consumed on its own — it is best used in cooking, when it can be combined with sugar.
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Dark chocolate Dark chocolate is produced by adding fat and sugar to the cacao mixture. It is a dark brown colour and has a bitter aftertaste.
How can you keep from getting a sharp pain in your eye when you drink chocolate milk? Take the spoon out of the glass. Why did the donut go to the dentist?
Bittersweet chocolate This chocolate often has a deeper, bitterer flavour than sweet dark or semi-sweet bars. However, the amount of sugar in the chocolate varies from one brand to another.
It needed a chocolate filling. Why did the cookie go to the doctor? Because it was feeling crummy. What did the space man say when he set foot on a giant chocolate bar?
Milk chocolate Milk chocolates are typically much sweeter than dark chocolate, and have a lighter colour and a less pronounced chocolate taste. This might just be your favourite type! ILLUSTRATION: JAMAL KHURSHID
I have just set foot on mars! What is the difference between chocolate and cheese? The cheese is never late! What is a leopard’s favorite candy? Dots! Why did the baby cookie cry? Because its mother was a wafer so long.
Easy chocolate chip cookies
How to make
Ingredients 1 1/2 cup butter 3 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup self-raising flour 1 cup brown sugar Cooking chocolate (in little pieces or chunks)
Instructions 1. Beat butter until creamy. 2. Next add brown sugar and mix. 3. Then add flour and vanilla. 4. Mix until it becomes a creamy dough. 5 Next make the dough in to balls and place them on a greased baking tray. Flatten them a little, but not too much. 6. Cook for 20-25 minutes in 160C (325F) degree oven until hard. ENJOY!! SOURCE: EASY-KIDS-RECIPES.COM
PHOTO: FORUM.XCITEFUN.NET