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When
Spanish Conquistadors set foot on Mexican soil in the 16th
century, they discovered a land whose Aztec rulers partook in
bloody rituals to the gods, built pyramids that reached to the
heavens, and prepared a brew so ambrosial that it would soon
spread across the globe to the European court and beyond.
That bitter and delicious brew was chocolate (from cacahuatl).
So revered was chocolate in Aztec society that it is said that
Montezuma drank the heavenly concoction from goblets of
gold.
Hot
chocolate is a drink that has evolved. The Aztecs served
their sacred chocolate drink cold and frothy with chilli,
cornmeal, and spices. The Spanish in Europe replaced all
that with sugar and milk and drank their chocolate hot. In
Mexican cuisine today, there are several variations on the hot
chocolate theme. Champurrado is a hot drink with a
base of masa flour and piloncillo (a Mexican
unrefined sugar) that is flavored with anise. Mexican hot
chocolate is a heady brew made by first melting bitter or
unsweetened chocolate, adding milk, sugar and cinnamon, and then
blending in eggs and vanilla that have already been beaten
together.
And
then there is that most ingenious use of chocolate in food - the
old standard - the mole poblano sauce. Mole
poblano is said to have been created in the 17th century by
nuns in honor of a visiting Spanish bishop, but other theories say
that it is in fact an ancient Aztec recipe. In any case, it
is a divine invention. The chocolate adds depth and texture
without sweetness, and the sauce is perfect with chicken or
duck. The chocolate base in mole poblano is flavored
with coriander, chilli peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, sesame
seeds . . . a list that can stretch to 30 or so ingredients.
If Rosa Mexicano in New York City has any thorns it is to
be found in the perfectly textured sting of their pungent mole
poblano.
The
taxonomist Linnaeus waxed lyrical when naming the cacao tree: theobroma
cacao (lit. food of the gods). Science has discovered
that chocolate contains a chemical called phenylethylamine
which not only plays a role in lifting one's mood, but is perhaps
associated with love and passion - and so, the rumored properties
of chocolate as an aphrodisiac, the food not only of the gods, but
of lovers.
Chocolate
is not only the solace of winter but its delight - and heading
South this year can be as simple as indulging in centuries-old
decadence right here in NYC.
Dine:
Rosa
Mexicano, NYC
Drink:
Best
Hot Chocolate in NYC
Watch:
Like
Water for Chocolate
Tags:
food
mexico
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