Why are we so obsessed with chocolate?

Here’s a chocolatey anecdote. That night – the first time I noticed that chocolate awakened all kinds of obsessions – I was in Caracas. I was supervising the recording of a thirty-second commercial that took us eighteen hours to complete. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, my roommate and I tossed our backpacks aside, threw our sneakers as far as we could, and lunged for the minibar. Our faces reflected those golden, shining rays that only minibars and pirate chests emit when they open. The small refrigerator held all kinds of products: each one more seductive than the last. There was champagne, nuts, beers, traditional sweets, sodas, snacks. “Paradise,” my roommate said when her hand dove in to grab something in this sort of Eden. I expected to see a bottle of champagne come out; instead, out came some little black squares of 1x1. “Chocolates... from Venezuela!” She said it so confidently that I snatched a square from her. The first bite gave me a loud “crack.” I immediately noticed its creaminess: a buttery texture that contrasted with its earthy flavors and red fruits. My friend was no longer speaking. She was having her moment with the chocolate, and I no longer existed. What is it about chocolate that can provoke this?The obsession with chocolate may have started in Mesoamerica. Cacao was so valued that it ended up being used as currency. When exchanged in the form of “beans,” the risk of going bankrupt due to cravings was improbable. Besides causing a bad digestion – it must be fermented and roasted before consuming – it could awaken the wrath of the gods: chocolate was a carefully designated ingredient for them and the wealthy.The cacao used in the preparation of drinks was the smallest type. Moctezuma, the great Aztec emperor, utilized his socioeconomic network to bring it to Great Tenochtitlán from the soconusco and Tabasco regions. What was the “welcome cocktail” he offered Hernán Cortés? Chocolate in a gold cup. The drink was ritualistic in weddings and ceremonies. Nobles mixed it with corn and spices like vanilla to consume it. Some added achiote. Others mixed it with chili. It had to be served with plenty of foam to denote its quality. During the Conquest, things changed. Someone noticed that there was something in the chemistry of chocolate that awakened the senses, that made the body react, that obsessed. Perhaps that’s why Francisco Hernández, physician to Philip II, recommended it to reduce fever and relieve stomach cramps. The French reduced it to tablets with digestive and stimulating qualities. During World War II, it became part of the rations sent to soldiers. It was like sending them bulk endorphins. And yes, the cause behind the obsession that chocolate provokes may be its flavors and aromas (which relate to where it grows), its physicochemical play in the form of endorphins, or everything mentioned above. But above all, it’s about the endorphins. These peptides function as chemical neurotransmitters that always bring good news to our nervous system. Among other things, they relieve pain and create feelings of happiness and tranquility. The stimulating part comes from its caffeine content. Fatty acids decrease bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol in the body and, in precise doses, prevent high blood pressure. Moreover, it has more antioxidants – flavonoids – than renowned nuts, wine, and green tea. In short, chocolate in mouth, happy heart.And since we are in season, what better than to give happy hearts this Father’s Day! Shape them with these chocolate recipes that are the favorites of the Kiwilimón team, like a classic no-bake chocolate cake. Just as Moctezuma did: use dark chocolate and, whenever possible, the best quality to bring the magic of this ingredient that obsesses us so much to life.Delicious chocolate cake without flourChocolate cake filled with pastry creamNutella trufflesPancake cake with Milky Way frosting