Mayn and Aztec Chocolate drinks

November 10, 2002

Thanks for these great recipes.

mjh

In a message dated 11/10/02 10:38:58 AM Eastern Standard Time, herbal remedies writes:

Message: 20

Sun, 10 Nov 2002 09:44:09 -0500

<pearlmoon

Mayan Hot Chocolate

> > MYAN HOT CHOCOLATE

> > 1 chili pepper, cut in half, seeds removed

> 5 cups light cream, whole or nonfat

> 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

> 1 to 2 cinnamon sticks

> 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate OR

> 3 tablets Mexican chocolate, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

> 2 tablespoons sugar or honey to taste

> 1 tablespon almonds or hazel nuts ground extra fine

> > Add chili pepper to 2 cups boiling water. Cook until liquid in > reduced to 1 cup. Remove chili pepper, strain for stray seeds and > set aside. In a medium size sauce pan combine cream or milk, > vanilla bean, and cimmamon stick. Heat over medium heat until > bubbles appear around the edge. Reduce heat to low, add chocolate, > sugar or honey; whisk occasionally until chocolate is melted and > sugar is disolved.

> Turn off heat, remove vanliila bean and cinnamon sticks, stir in > ground almonds or hazel nuts. Add chili pepper infusion alittle at > a time, making sure the flavor isn't too strong. If chocolate is > too thick, thin with alittle milk.

> > Serves 6.

> > > I heard from someone that this is how the Aztecs used to make their > chocolate drinks. They were considered to sacred drinks fit only > for the Gods or the king. Chili pepper makes the flavor of > chocolate more robust, and chemically helps the compounds reach your > blood stream alittle faster. Kind of like a chaser. So when you're > cold or just need to relax this might be something you want try.

______________________

Message: 21

Sun, 10 Nov 2002 09:46:20 -0500

<pearlmoon

Aztec Chocolate Drink

Actec Chocolate Drink

2 ounces (squares) bitter, unsugared bakers' chocolate

1 cup hot water

3 tablespoons honey dash salt

3 cups hot milk

4 sticks cinnamon bark

Chop the chocolate and heat it in the water until melted. Add honey, salt, and beat the hot chocolate water with a balloon wire whip as you add the warmed milk. To make it more frothy and give more food value, you can beat up an egg or two, add hot chocolate to it, then pour it into the chocolate cooking pot and continue to whip, (but this isn't authentic). Serve the hot chocolate in mugs with cinnamon-bark stick stirrers in each.

Purists will tell you cinnamon is oriental, not Meso-American, which is true, but it is readily available, and the cinnamon-flavored barks (canella) which are native to Mexico and Meso-America are not readily available. The Aztecs, Mayans, and others of Meso America used those. They also sometimes put bits of peyote mushroom in it, and other spices. Sometimes it was made without honey, as a bitter drink, apparently this was how it was served in European coffee houses for about 100 years until the Dutch got wise to the fact that chocolate and sugar are the perfect taste combo, which the Native people already knew.

Dutch developed the process of treating cacao bean grindings with alkalais to make cocoa powder which keeps and dissolves better and has most of the bean's fat leached out of it.

Chocolate's high potassium content makes a good excuse to pig out on it. It also contains thobromines which are allegedly similar to internal brain hormones of people in love, which is supposed to explain the tradition of giving a box of chocs to a lover.

[This message contained attachments]