Valerie Beck
Tourguests have asked: Where do we get the delicious cocoa beans we hand out on the tours?
We love letting people know how chocolate goes from bean to bar, as well as about the history of the cocoa bean and chocolate production, so if you take a Chicago Chocolate Tour you'll get to try raw organic cocoa beans. Some of our Tourguests have asked where we get them: Whole Foods sometimes carries them, and we order them from Nuts Online. Tell them Chicago Chocolate Tours sent you!
Cocoa beans - the seed of the fruit of the cocoa tree - are loaded with vitamins, iron, and magnesium, and they give you a great feeling of alertness and satisfaction. You can chop them and sprinkle them onto your morning oatmeal, blend them into smoothies, bake them into chocolate chip cookies, and more.
Enjoy!
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A recent Tourguest asked to learn more about why chocolate is associated with feelings of love. Great question!
Among the over 300 chemicals present in chocolate is phenylethylamine (PEA), a mood-lifting agent found naturally in the human brain and known as the "love drug" in chocolate. PEA is related to amphetamines and causes a temporary rise in blood glucose and blood pressure, makes us feel more alert, and gives us the same feeling we have when we're in love.
In addition, chocolate also raises endorphin levels and releases seratonin, relieving pain and making us feel happier and less stressed. Quite the cocktail!
The Aztecs, well versed in plant pharmacology, knew of the properties of chocolate and its power to enhance our physical and mental well being.
But is chocolate physically addictive? Scientists say no. Unlike amphetamines, PEA doesn't cause the same tolerance or addiction problems.
Isn't chocolate nature's perfect food!
Chicago Chocolate Tour guests at Joseph Schmidt's chocolate Chicago skyline sculpture
Yours truly (3rd from left) with some of my terrific team members
The history of fondue? Vasily, I'm glad you asked!
Chocolate fondue is a more recent invention than cheese fondue, a recipe for which was mentioned in Homer's Iliad: grated goat's cheese, wine, and flour went into the mix.
In 18th century Switzerland, fondue became popular as a way to use hardened cheese and bread. These staples were made in the summer but had to last through the winter, when fresh food was scarce. The cheese and bread became almost too hard to bite into months after their creation, but by melting the cheese, adding some wine, and dipping the bread, a soft and edible mixture ensued. It won't surprise you to hear that the word fondue comes from the French fondre, meaning to melt.
It wasn't until 1964 that chocolate fondue came onto the scene. Returning American soldiers brought the idea of cheese fondue back from France, where it had migrated from Switzerland. Swanky New York restaurant Chalet Swiss began serving cheese fondue, and then chocolate fondue.
Fondue became trendy in the 1960s and 70s and is having a bit of a resurgence today, as restaurants and home chefs serve fondue with meat or bread dipped by guests into a pot of oil or cheese, or with fruit or cake dipped into a pot of chocolate. But be warned: tradition has it that if you drop your food into the fondue pot, you have to kiss the person sitting next to you - or pay the entire restaurant bill!
We know that chocolate is the food of the gods, and the favorite food of many of us humans, but do animals eat it too? Juliet, I'm glad you asked!
Monkeys, rodents, and birds that are indigenous to the Central and South American regions where cacao trees grow do indeed eat the sweet pulp from the cacao pods. They don't, however, eat the bitter seeds from which chocolate is ultimately made. The animals spit out the seeds, and new cacao trees grow. A happy strategy!
The fact that the cacao seeds contain a chemical called theobromine takes us to the next point. You may have heard that dogs shouldn't eat chocolate. The reason is that their systems can't process theobromine, an alkaloid chemical in chocolate that is similar to caffeine and that gives humans a wonderful feeling yet which can cause sickness, seizures, or even death in dogs. In addition, horses and livestock fed cocoa bean hulls have died due to theobromine poisoning.
The amount of theobromine in chocolate is quite small and is metabolized by the liver in humans, while dogs and other animals metabolize it more slowly.
Interestingly, theobromine might have additional benefits for humans besides making us feel good: it might lower blood pressure, help treat asthma, and might even be useful in preventing cancer.
OK, back to the main point: animals that live among cacao trees in the rainforest crack open cacao pods to eat the sweet pulp, while avoiding the seeds. The seeds are what chocolate is made from; chocolate contains theobromine which is pretty marvelous for humans but which can be toxic for dogs and other animals.
So, share your chocolate with your friends, but not with man's best friend.