Part of who I am is a writer and on-line business developer. I have recently enjoyed writing a Chocolate Recipe book, with recipes dating to 1900’s! This is currently being sold on one of my websites, which is dedicated to Chocolate!
To do this research was eyeopening. The recipes are amazing and I tried and tested each and every one of them. Converting the measurements of each recipe was also fun.
All the recipes were made with Dark Chocolate. (To cook them today you would need to cook with Quality Dark Chocolate with more than 72% cocoa solids otherwise the taste and texture would not be the same). What was totally amazing is back then, they saw Dark chocolate as a “Health Aid”. No need for the scientific evidence that is so revered today.
Baron von Liebig, one of the best-known writers on dietetics, way back then
Wrote
"It is a perfect food, as wholesome as delicious, a beneficent restorer
Of exhausted power; but its quality must be good and it must be
Carefully prepared. It is highly nourishing and easily digested, and is
Fitted to repair wasted strength, preserve health, and prolong life.
It agrees with dry temperaments and convalescents, with mothers who nurse
Their children; with those whose occupations oblige them to undergo
Severe mental strains; with public speakers, and with all those who give
To work a portion of the time needed for sleep. It soothes both stomach
And brain, and for this reason, as well as for others, it is the best friend of those engaged in literary pursuits.”
Of course today we can obtain good quality dark chocolate with 72% or more cocoa solids that is beneficial for ones health, but I think that it is sad that so many people consume the cheap milk chocolate that really does not resemble chocolate at all and has no health benefits (but many fattening calories).
Another interesting statistic that I came across was this
The figures on the consumption of Dark Chocolate between 1860 and 1908 in USA…
The amount retained for home consumption in 1860 was only 1,181,054
pounds--about 5 ounces for each inhabitant.
The amount retained for home consumption for the year ending Dec. 31, 1908, was 93,956,721 pounds--over 16 ounces for each inhabitant.
The recipes I came across were for cakes, sweets, slices and hot chocolate, each one delicious with ingredients that did not have chemical sounding names to them, and NOTHING from a packet! HOORAY!!
No need to reach for an anti-oxidant tablet – just eat a slice of cake!
What I also found out was a cup of “Hot Chocolate” was served at the end of a meal instead of coffee like today because “Hot Chocolate” was a digestive aid.
Well my oven has just “dinged” so I must go and see if my latest recipe has cooked OK, this one will be in my second book. There will be 3 books in the series. All e-Books.
Don’t you just love cooking and researching! I know I do!
Take Care,
Love and Light
www.chocolateheaven4u.com
