Chocolate...!!!!

What is the one gift you can give a child, a teenager, your lover or your other half, parents, grandparents, your boss, friends and even strangers alike? That does sound as a tall order doesn’t it? One gift which is acceptable by anyone? A gift that when they see, automatically brings out a smile. A gift for all seasons. Still no clue?? Come on guys…! Give a guess… No. it is not a picture frame!! Roses…? Do you give it to your boss?? Balloons..? For your husband??? That’s it! All three chances over…

It's sophisticated, silky and sublime. It's scrumptious; it's soothing; some say it's downright sinful! Something so indulgent that it was once practically banned by the Catholic church, and so luscious that it was once considered an extraordinary "gift of paradise". A small bite of which can make any bitter moment sweet. A small chunk which when melts in your mouth fills it with an explosion of the sweetest flavours. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… I am talking about the ultimate in comfort food. Yes dears, its our Chocolate!

Chocolate deserves its repute, because behind the rich, bewitching taste, the smooth, exotic texture, and the ultimate variety of ways to enjoy chocolate, you'll find an incredible history, which is infact as old as history itself! Of course we all know that chocolate comes from the cocoa plant, a God send, which is native to lowland, tropical South America, and has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Central America and Mexico, with its earliest documented use around 1400 BC. The word "chocolate" comes from the Aztecs of Mexico, and is derived from the word ‘xocolatl’, which is a combination of the words, ‘xocolli’, meaning "bitter", and atl, which is "water". The Aztecs and the Mayans associated chocolate with their goddesses of fertility. Chocolate was also an important luxury good throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and cacao beans were often used as currency.

You sure can’t eat cocoa in its pure form. Only after the beans are harvested, fermented, blended, conched and tempered (phew) that they can be made into those delectable chocolate you and I enjoy! And higher the cocoa content, the bitter the chocolate is.

Enough of the boring stuff… now for some fun ways to enjoy chocolate!

***** Melt a Diary Milk bar in a cup of boiling milk and enjoy a chocolate drink like no other!!
***** Cut your favourite fruits into bite size pieces and insert clean toothpicks through them.
***** Melt a bar of chocolate. Dip the fruits in them and keep it to chill. Enjoy flavored chocolate treat!
***** Add a bar or two of broken chocolate to your favourite ice cold fruit/milk shake and taste the difference.
***** Break chocolate into your morning cereal and taste the twist.
***** Call over your friends over for a chocolate party… and serve only chocolate!!!
***** Dump your morning coffee for a hot cup of chocolate. Not only will you feel nice, but you will get your daily dose of caffine too! And no stained teeth! But remember to work it out!
***** To those souls in love, all I can say is there are endless ways to enjoy chocolate. Just use your imagination!!
***** The best fun way to enjoy chocolate is to share and eat it with someone you love!!!

Regarding which chocolate tastes best, I’ll give a selection of my favourite ones.
* Our good old Cadbury’s Diary Milk. Whichever corner of the world you are, it is there!
* Ferro Rocher. Nuts, crisps, wafer, chocolate. All in a delectable bite sized chocolate coated ball. * Hershey’s Kisses. Shaped like a flat-bottomed tear drop, they come in a variety of flavours and can be substituted for a real kiss anytime.
* Quality Street. A chocolate assortment from Machintosh, wrapped in a bevy of colored foil, they are a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds.
* Galaxy range. True to their name, they offer a variety that can be challenged only by the stars in a galaxy! No chocolate I’ve ever eaten is as smooth as a Galaxy!
Then again… this is just a list. Explore on your own to find out your favorites and stock them in your fridge, as you will never when you or anyone else will need a chocolate!

As am writing this, I couldn’t help but eat a bar of a Crispy Galaxy Milk Chocolate. The temptation was too much to be held back! As the rice crisps mix with the velvety chocolate, my hand reaches out for yet another one, all thoughts of loosing some pounds, gone with the wind!

Romantic… glorious… exotic..! from the cheapest ones available, to the most expensive gourmet ones, chocolate remains in the realm of inspired tastes that transcend the ordinary!!!

Dear fellow chocoholics…
Join me and shout out loud, “Viva la Chocolat!”



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