Thursday, September 10, 2015

The Table Chocolate Of Mexico

Just a couple of ingredients are all that are required to produce the rough, gritty chocolate that is otherwise known as table chocolate. Made with the addition of chilies and sometimes cinnamon, it is much more bitter than the chocolate produced by other nations around the world. The history of chocolate goes back centuries, in the region that is now part of Mexico, as it was a highly regarded drink of pre-Columbian people that lived in the area. Seashells that held a hot chocolate concoction have been found by archaeologists researching various sites, and even during the reign of Montezuma, chocolate was used in drink form. When Hernan Cortez set out to explore and conquer Mesoamerica he was given his first taste of chocolate by the monarch, and soon after Spanish ships were sending the valuable substance to Europe.

Grocery and convenience stores all over Mexico now sell table chocolate, and it is a commonly stocked item. Mayordomo is a popular and major brand of table chocolate products. Their item is a distinct one as the bars contain only four ingredients: sugar, roasted cacao beans, almonds and cinnamon. A molinillo is used (whisk) to produce a frothy beverage when a bit of a bar is melted into hot water or milk. A savory-sweet sauce called mole, is also produced by Mayordomo, and it is made using cacao beans and chilies as a commonly used flavoring for grilled meat dishes. Chocolate Mayordomo, has been given raving reviews by Fodor's as their hot chocolate is an exquisite drink.!

Ibarra is another popular brand of table chocolate in Mexico. Table chocolate perfect for dissolving in a cup of hot milk, can be found on many grocery shop shelves in a distinctive red and gold carton.. Like Mayordomo, the wedges can be consumed as is, but they are meant for hot chocolate. Ibarra produces many other chocolate treats, including candies, bars and syrups. They are not considered the high end of table chocolate, but Ibarra is definitely a common part of household kitchens in Mexico.

Fine chocolate has different meaning for those of us outside of Mexico. It means creamy chocolate sweetness that melts away and leaves nothing but heavenly sensations of chocolate goodness. Semi-sweet, spicy and frothy, are the characteristics that best describe the typical flavor of Mexican quality chocolate. Sugar is not the focus for Mexican chocolate, the taste of the cacao bean is; whereas the opposite is true western culture.

Next time you sit down to a chocolate dessert; think about what you taste. Are you really getting a taste for the actual chocolate, or has the sugar overshadowed it so much that you can't even tell the different between the two? That is what chocolate has become in North America, a concoction overshadowed by sugar. Best with just a bit of sugarcane, cinnamon and perhaps a chilli, this is how chocolate was originally experienced, for many centuries after the discovery of the cacao bean.


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