Bitter or sweet, dark or

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1 God s World News Lessons Loco for Cocoa by Jenny Pitcock Bitter or sweet, dark or white, studded with bacon or sprinkled with gold. Candy lovers eat chocolate every way imaginable. And there s no better time than February for fixing one s eyes or taste buds on the favorite confection. Valentine s Day is the nation s number one chocolate-giving holiday. Sugary Beginnings Europeans have been crazy for chocolate since the 16th century. That s when Aztec warrior Montezuma introduced a spicy-sweet chocolate drink to Spanish explorer Hernán Cortés. The average German eats about 24 pounds of chocolate every year. And U.S. consumers savor more than eleven pounds per person per year. During Valentine s week alone, U.S. retailers sell $345 million worth of chocolate candies. That s 58 million pounds! All in the Process It s not simple to make really good chocolate. The best flavors and textures require exact scientific procedures. Making high-quality chocolate is really an art form. comes from the seeds of the cacao tree. This small evergreen is native to South America. It grows well near the equator. Beaten and Broken Processing chocolate requires a great deal of labor. First, ripe cacao (or cocoa) pods are harvested by hand. The pods are broken open and the seeds and white pulp removed. The seedy mush is allowed to ferment. This produces acids and bacteria that give the resulting chocolate its trademark taste. Dried and Shipped Cocoa harvesters place fermented beans in the sun to dry for five to seven days. During that Dried cacao beans

2 flavorings to hide the poor taste. After chocolate is blended, the liquid goes into a container that grinds and heats it. Machines press out the remaining cocoa butter. The process, called conching, produces particles smaller than the human tongue can feel. That gives chocolate its supersmooth texture. Before it becomes a solid block, chocolate must be tempered. This involves intervals of heating, cooling, and reheating until the cocoa butter reaches its most stable crystal form. Then the chocolate is poured into metal molds that run through cooling tunnels. At tunnels end, a block of chocolate finally pops from the mold. Mmmmmm. Just in time for Valentine s Day. Cacao pods ripen. time, the flavor develops. Harvesters ship the dried beans to a manufacturing plant, where workers sort and roast the beans. Machines remove the bean shells and extract the cocoa nib. The nib is the part that is ground and liquefied to make pure liquid chocolate. This liquid is called chocolate liquor. It can be separated into two parts: cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Candy makers can use simple chocolate liquor to flavor certain sweets. But if they need blocks of chocolate, the liquor must go through more processing. Secret Recipes In order to make different types of chocolate, manufacturers blend chocolate liquor with differing amounts of cocoa butter. There are three basic types of chocolate: dark, milk, and white chocolates. White chocolate contains no cocoa solids. It is made only with cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla. Fine dark chocolates usually contain at least 70 percent cocoa. Milk chocolates contain about 50 percent and white chocolate only about 35 percent (cocoa butter only). Low-quality chocolates use as little as seven percent cocoa and include vegetable oils and artificial Bites Montezuma s court reportedly drank about 2000 cups of xocolatl per day. Montezuma himself consumed 50 of those daily. Africa produces more than 75% of the world s cocoa. Scientific studies suggest that chocolate may reduce the risk of certain heart problems, lower blood pressure, boost brain abilities, and lower cholesterol levels in adults. Hershey (Hershey s Kisses, Reese s cups) and Mars (Twix, M&M s, Snickers) are the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world. God s World News Lessons, 2

3 More about.... A Healthy Treat? We ve already told you that chocolate can have some health benefits. Here are a few additional reasons to eat more chocolate: 1. Studies suggest that chocolate may help prevent diabetes. Eating chocolate helps the body respond better to insulin, a hormone necessary to regulate sugar in our bodies. 2. can help reduce stress. Swiss researchers did a study that showed that stress hormones were lowered in people who ate dark chocolate every day for two weeks. 3. may help prevent sunburn. British researchers had people eat chocolate for three months. The chocolate-eaters skin took twice as long to begin burning as it did without the chocolate in their systems. 4. A study found that chocolate worked almost as well as codeine a drug that causes sleepiness to calm coughs. But beware not all chocolate is created equal. The main ingredient in chocolate, cacao, contains lots of healthy flavonoids. Flavonoids help reduce cell damage, leading to many health benefits. Eating chocolate watered down with milk and sugar adds calories and fat. Instead, choose A cacao pod is split. dark chocolate at least 70 percent cocoa which contains the most flavonoids. Assignment: Hot Fudge Learn more. Know more. If all of this reading has you craving chocolate, you ll want to start on today s assignment right away. Always ask a parent to help when using the stove. You ll need: a parent to supervise a double-boiler pan (pans that stack on top of each other) a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips a can of sweetened condensed milk wooden spoon ice cream Put an inch or two of water in the bottom pan of your double-boiler. Turn on to high until the water boils, then reduce to medium heat. Dump chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk into the top pan. Use a wooden spoon to stir the chocolate chips until they melt into the milk. When the chips are melted in and the sauce is smooth, pour on top of ice cream and eat. God s World News Lessons, 3

4 Quiz On... Check your reading. Check your thinking. 1 More than 75% of the world s cocoa is produced in. a) Bolivia, b) Africa, c) China, d) the United States. 2 Which two companies manufacture most of the world s chocolate? a) Cadbury/ Godiva, b) Whitman s/see s, c) Hershey/Mars, d) Lindt /Toblerone 3 Studies suggest chocolate may. a) Reduce stress, b) prevent sunburn, c) prevent diabetes, d) all of these 4 The substance in chocolate that accounts for much of its health benefits is. a) forastero, b) cocoa butter, c) sugar, d) flavonoids 5... What kind of chocolate is better for your health, dark chocolate or milk chocolate? Why? God s World News Lessons, 4

5 Puzzling Times There s a message on the choclate bars, but they have been mixed up! Put the bars in the right order to discover the chocolate fact. God s World News Lessons, 5

6 Key Page Quiz: 1) b, 2) c, 3) d, 4) d 5) Answers may include: Dark chocolate because it contains at least 70 percent cocoa which contains the most flavonoids. Milk chocolate is watered down with milk and sugar which add calories and fat. Puzzling Times Key: Cocoa beans were used by the Aztecs as their form of currency. God s World News Lessons, 6