Abigails Herbs

The classic Maya civilization thrived dring the period between 250 to 900 B.C. Cacao beans were used throughout Mesoamerica as currency, but the artifacts that survive from the golden age of the maya suggest that the consumption of chocolate was, as for most of its subsequent history, restricted to the society’s elite. This literate civilization apears to have once had entire libraries of books, although only four survived the Spanish occupation (the Spanish arrived and decided it was a good idea to burn all the books). Wow- I never knew this!

In two of  those books which were saved, cacao is mentioned often, as does the “Popol Vuh, ” the sacred book of the Quiche Maya of Guatemala, which was transcribed into the Spanish alphabet shortly after the Europeans arrived. The tombs of the Maya nobility have been found to contain pottery vessels bearing the hieroglyph for cacao and depictions of the process of its preparation. Analysis of the traces of their contents indicates that they probably contained the chocolate drink.

This evidence doesn’t provide a real way to know all the forms in whch the Maya consumed chocolate, but it seems to have been most common as a drink. The drink was made by mixing the roasted, ground cacao beans with water, flavoring it with herbs and/or spices (chile was common), and then agitating the mixture until foamy by pouring it from one vessel to another. One of the variations might have involved adding honey to chocolate, but the Maya did not commonly sweeten the chocolate drink, as we do today. They must have been very health-conscious.

As you enjoy this Valentine’s Day, remember the Maya with admiration and thanks!

Greetings everybody!  I am still digging out from nearly three feet of snow. It is that icy, hard kind of snow, so it is a longer and slower task than I thought it would be; I am trying to do the independent woman thing, however, with the snow being so heavy, I have to take it slow. I should have taken that free snow blower when I had the chance. Now I am back, stronger than ever, with important information.

Valentine’s Day (tomorow) may be for lover’s, but be careful from whom you purchase your chocolate or cocoa. Do not use chocolate that is tainted with child slave labor. This problem started back in 1998 and by the year 2000 the U.S. State Department estimated that 15,000 children were actively enslaved on cocoa farms on the Ivory Coast in West Africa. In 2002, two reporters from the Philadelphia Inquirer published a series outlining the brutal conditions suffered by boys as young as nine who work in the cocoa fields. The series explained how slave traders would lure boys from Mali with promises of high wages and gifts of bicycles in exchange for picking beans from the cacao trees in Ivory Coast. Frequently the boys were told they could earn as much as $175.00 per year (about five times what they could make in the same period in their home countries), and could leave at any time. But once on the plantations, some of the boys were rarely paid, and more often beaten with chains, whips and switches. When they tried to leave, they were beaten and sometimes killed.

There is still an ethical battle raging between the Chocolate Manufacturer’s Association and, let’s say, “the people who fight for ethical treatment of children.” Rep. Eliot Engel(D-NY),  crafted a rider for an agriculture appropriations bill that happened to be on the floor of the House of Representatives the week the series came out in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The rider set aside $250,000.00 to implement a system for labeling chocolate and cocoa products. The proposed labels would have read “No Child Slave Labor” , similar to “Dolphin-Safe” labels on tuna cans.

Engel’s bill passed in the House of Representatives that June, but the chocolate makers feared that this bill would taint their image and cause a disatrous public relations headache to their industry. So, they mustered support from a handful of high-powered senators (from both the Democratic and Republican parties of the USA), and they lobbied Congress before the Senate could pass a similar bill. Sadly, the bill was never initiated.

This information was taken from http://www.alternet.org/story/12373    So, use discretion when buying your chocolate or cacao.

In their book,”The True History of Chocolate’ “  Sophie and Michael Coe argue that the cacao tree was domesticated centuries earlier than previously thought. While in the past, scholars have credited the Maya (250-900 CE), or even the Aztec (14th century CE), with discovering the ambrosial qualities of chocolate, now many prefer to credit the Olmec civilization with domesticating the cacoa bean.

The Oltecs developed food-production processes that gave them the time to enjoy a relatively comfortable lifestyle, with plenty of time away from hunting  and gathering for mere survival. They were able to build a vast empire and create numerous works of art– and see what they could make of the humble-looking cacao bean.  Moreover, there were great Olmec settlements in the prime cacao-growing areas in Chiapas, Guatemala, and the Yucatan, and linguistic examinations of the words “cacao” and “chocolate” yield traces of languages spoken by the Olmec.

The other day, when I was snowed inside of my home, Iwatched the movie, “Chocolat”, starring Johnny Depp. It is a beautiful story about a young woman who travels to a small, provincial town in the countryside of France. She opens a patiserie (bakery) in the middle of Lent. She literally transforms the town; the villagers, who were legalistic, sullen and oppressed with religious “rules” (no candy during Lent), were trasformed to beings of  lightness, acceptance and joy. Even the mayor of the town (who was against her and had called her an agent of the devil- and immoral) had changed his attitude and  and felt a lightness of soul. If you get the chance to see it, treat yourself; it was nominated for Best Picture award in 2000. The movie is well worth watching.

Valentine’s Day is one week away. So it is at this time of year that gifts of chocolate are given as a gesture of love.  I drank a cup of hot chocolate or cocoa today after I finished shoveling the snow that the snow plow had pushed back into my driveway overnight. I was watching  TV yesterday and I saw Olympic speed skater, Apollo Ohno in a vat of chocolate with Shawn Johnson, gold medal gymnast. He and she were engaged in a  wrestling match of sorts for Nestle’s chocolate,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Well these two Olympic heroes were slinging liquid chocolate all over each other as a promotion for the candy company. It was quite a bizarre promotion of chocolate. It can be found on You Tube. Anyway, this bizarre display of chocolate gave me the idea to write about cocoa (or cacao)  today.

Remember that the higher percentage of  pure cacao means a lower sugar content. One of the most intense chocolates on the planet is Sharffen Berger. It is 99% cacao  and it is meant to be used for baking; not snacking. This is an extremly dark chocolate. Guittard chocolate is 72% cacao, so it has a low sugar content and no added butter.

Remember, cocoa or cacao is very healthy for us because the anandamide in it attaches to certain neuro transmitters in our brains to help elongate that happy feeling we get when we feel content, loved and consumed with laughter.  So, enjoy your red wine and chocolate on Valentine’s Day. Be healthy and savor that warm cup of cocoa.

I am all alone in the house, safe and dry from this 24- hour snow storm that has me blanketed in so much that I can’t even open the back door. There is two feet of snow piled up against the door. In a few hours I will be outside in the 40 to 50 mph winds, bundled up and shoveling out my car. Being alone has given me the opportunity to think and work on my own spirituality.  I also get the chance to work on my physical health and wellness. It will take me a few hours to shovel the snow. I make the best of it; I practice strengthening my abdominal muscles with every scoop I pick up.

I will drink plenty of water during rests from the snow. When it is all over and I have successfully cleared the sidewalks and driveway, I plan on having a good old-fashioned cup of hot chocolate or cacao. My mother always called it cocoa. I make my cocoa with organic cacao; no processing or additives. I will savor each sip and think of my canceled dinner date that I was so looking forward to;  my date was going to take me to a huge dinner award banquet at the Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, but it  was called off due to all this ”white stuff.”  Last Saturday, I was stuck on Rt. 95 in Maryland in several inches of snow amidst 28 accidents that we counted. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry. I count my blessings.

Cacao has high levels of sulphur and magnesium which increases mental alertness and focus. The phenylethylamine and the chemical anandamide (found in cacao) binds to neuro-transmitters in our brains which tend to prolong that “feel-good” happy emotional state of mind. And so, the hot cup of cocoa that I am looking forward to as my reward for heavy shoveling will be well-deserved. I am thankful to be safe and dry and not out on the highway like I was last week. My sincere prayers go out to those who are out traveling to get to work and businesses. To all of my faithful readers, I wish you the gift of uninhibited and unrestrained  JOY.

Spice up your sex life with organic dark chocolate, also known as cocao. Chocolate contains antioxidants shown to increase levels of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a chemical compound which is known to heighten sexual functioning in both male and female genders. It has been scientifically investigated to improve levels of  libido for not just women, but for men too.

Everyday, just eat approximately one ounce of organic and raw dark chocolate. The chocolate you select should contain about 60% of cocoa to produce the desired pleasurable benefits. There are extra added health benefits for us too. This delicious sweet treat not only tastes good, but it could lower your blood pressure as well. According to past studies,  cocao, or chocolate,  could also keep  inflammation under control.

Always check with your doctor before consuming this or any other spice or herb on a daily, regular basis. Chocolate tastes great  and it is a wonderful stimulant. This information about natural aphrodisiacs was taken from Dr. Cathy Wong, N.D, author of the book entitled, “The Inside Out Diet.”

History records indicate that the Mayan civilization discovered chocolate between 250 to 900 CE. They are credited for the domestication of the cacao tree.  Cacao beans were used throughout Mesoamerica as currency, but the artifacts that survive from the golden age of the Maya suggest that the consumption of chocolate was, as for most of its subsequent history, restricted to the society’s elite. Have you seen the movie Chocolat, with Johnny Depp? The following is a recipe for Mayan Hot Chocolate which is similar to the drink used in the movie.

Get these ingredients ready:

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 chile pepper, cut in half, seeds removed
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 to 2 cinnamon sticks
• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons sugar or honey, or agave syrup to taste1 tablespoon almonds or hazlenuts, ground extra fine
• whipped cream

Now, follow these simple steps:

1. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add chile pepper to boiling water.
2. Cook until liquid is reduced to 1 cup.
3. Remove chile pepper, strain water and set aside.
4. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cream or milk, vanilla bean and cinnamon stick until bubbles appear around the edge.
5. Reduce heat to low; add chocolate and sugar or other alternative sweetener; whisk occasionally until chocolate is melted and sugar dissolves.
6. Turn off heat; remove vanilla bean and cinnamon stick.
7. Add chile-infused water, a little at a time, tasting to make sure the flavor isn’t too strong.
8. If chocolate is too thick, thin with a little more milk.

Like wine, green and white tea, dark chocolate is packed with antioxidants which are extremely healthy for our hearts. In a study published by the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in 2008 suggests that eating 2.5 ounces of chocolate every day can lower blood pressure and improve blood flow. We should enjoy a cup of cocoa or a dark chocolate bar everyday, for our own benefit.

Here is a rich and decadent chocolate dessert  in the form of a fondue:

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

12 ounces good quality 75% dark chocolate chopped into small pieces

one-half teaspoon cinnamon or one teaspoon orange extract or orange liqueur

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the cream and vanilla extract. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer.
2. Add the chocolate, remove from heat, and stir until melted completely. Sprinkle  in the cinnamon or the orange extract or liqueur, stir well, and pour into a warm fondue pot.
3. Serve with fresh fruits-try bananas. sliced Granny Smith apples, strawberries, and dried fruits like apricots and pears.

This is a dessert rich in fat, so eat in moderation. Use organic, dark chocolate. Enjoy this delightful decadent treat.

Organic cocoa is an excellent anti-oxidant. Cooking with cocoa is fun; especially when entertaining guests.  Mix cocoa powder with some chile powder, add some dried herbs and rub onto chicken or other kinds of meat before grilling.

Just for something different and to give your dinner guests a new experience, try adding some roasted chocolate nibs (the kernel of the cocoa bean) to salads. You could try tossing the cocoa nibs in with vegetables like green beans, squash or asparagus. Use your imagination!

As you are cooking with chocolate, remember to taste test it frequently as it can get thick and too sweet quickly. If it starts to taste too sweet, add some salt or citrus juice . Bon appetite!