July 28 is National Milk Chocolate Day! I haven’t dedicated a whole column to chocolate since 2019 so I thought I would do it again now. After all, I am a self-diagnosed chocaholic - to the core! Chocolate grows on a tree. That makes it a vegetable, right?!

Earliest evidence of domestication of the cacao plant dates to the Olmec culture. The Olmecs were a prehistoric people inhabiting the coast of Veracruz and western Tabasco on the Gulf of Mexico between 1200 and 400 BC. It is believed the Olmecs used it for religious rituals or as a medicinal drink, with no recipes for personal use. Little evidence remains of how the beverage was processed though.

The Mayan people, by contrast, did leave some writings about cacao. The Dresden Codex is a book from the Mayan civilization that has survived. It calls cacao ‘the food of the rain deity Kon’. Another book to survive the test of time is called the Madrid Codex. It states ‘gods shed their blood on the cacao pods as part of its production’. Cacao was used in official ceremonies and religious rituals, at feasts and festivals, as funerary offerings, as tribute and for medicinal purposes. Both cacao itself and vessels and instruments used for the preparation and serving of cacao were used for important gifts and tributes. Cacao beans were used as currency, to buy anything from avocados to turkeys to sex. They were also used in betrothal and marriage ceremonies among the Maya, especially among the upper classes. Mayans seasoned their chocolate by mixing roasted cacao seed paste into a drink with water, chile peppers and cornmeal, transferring the mixture repeatedly between pots until the top was covered with a thick foam according to the History of Chocolate. The cacao drink was sometimes flavored with vanilla pods or flowers.

By 1400, the Aztec Empire took over a sizable part of Mesoamerica. They were unable to grow it themselves and had to import it. All areas conquered by the Aztecs that grew cacao beans were ordered to pay the Aztecs with cacao beans as a “tribute”. The cacao bean became a form of currency for them as well. The Spanish conquistadors left records of the value of the cacao bean, noting for instance 100 beans could purchase a canoe filled with fresh water or a turkey hen. The Aztecs associated cacao with the god Quetzacoatl, whom they believed had been condemned by the other gods for sharing chocolate with humans, according to the History of Chocolate. Unlike the Mayan people, the Aztecs drank chocolate cold. It was consumed for a variety of purposes such as an aphrodisiac or as a treat for men after banquets and it was also included in the rations of Aztec soldiers.

Christopher Columbus encountered the cacao bean on his fourth mission to the Americas on August 15, 1502, when he and his crew seized a large native canoe that proved to contain, among other goods for trade, cacao beans. Until then, cacao was unknown to Europe. It is believed Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés was the first European to encounter chocolate itself when he observed it in the court of Montezuma in 1519. No one seems sure why he called it chocolate, but that is what processed cacao has been called ever since. In a journal Jose de Acostahe kept about his travels, he wrote ‘Loathsome to such as are not acquainted with it, having a scum or froth that is very unpleasant taste. Yet, it is a drink very much esteemed among the Indians, where with they feast noble men who pass through their country. The Spaniards are accustomed to the country are very greedy of this Chocolate. They say they make diverse sorts of it, some hot, some cold, and some temperate, and put therein much of that “chili”; yea, they make paste thereof, which they say is good for the stomach.’

After the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs, chocolate was imported to Europe where Spaniards primarily used it for treating illnesses because it was so bitter. Once someone sweetened it however, everything changed. Originally, they strove to recreate the original taste of the Mesoamerican chocolate by adding similar spices, but this habit had faded away by the end of the eighteenth century. Within about a hundred years, chocolate established a foothold throughout Europe. Today, it is shaped and molded, shaved, crumbled and curled, has things added like nuts and caramels and is generally loved around the world.

--- Fun Facts:

Benjamin Franklin sold chocolate in his print shop in Philadelphia.

Chocolate is the only edible substance to melt around 90°F, just below human body temperature. That’s why chocolate melts so well in your mouth.

Way back in 1842, the Cadbury Company made the very first chocolate bar. The company is still in existence, and is perhaps most famous for their delightful Easter-themed treats. The inventor of the Chocolate Chip Cookie sold the idea to Nestle Toll House in return for a lifetime supply of chocolate. That’s my kind of deal!

M&Ms were created in 1941 as a means for soldiers to enjoy chocolate without it melting. Also a wartime effort, Nutella was invented during WWII, when an Italian pastry maker mixed hazelnuts into chocolate to extend his cocoa supply.

The smell of chocolate increases theta brain waves, which triggers relaxation. See - chocolate really does make it better!

There are many ways to use chocolate in the kitchen. This week, I ran the gamut and used the chocolate for dinner, snacks, bread and drinking! I love a good chocolate recipe and let me tell you, everyone at the office loved the Spiced Cookie Bread. Give it a try! Make your grocery list, grab your favorite milk chocolate and meet me in the kitchen this weekend for a deliciously different way to celebrate this beloved treat.

--- Chicken Enchiladas with Mole

2-3 cups shredded, cooked chicken 4 Tbsps. unsalted butter, divided 10 medium onion, sliced or diced as desired Corn tortillas - I think I used about 15 to fill the pan Shredded cheese Sour cream, onion, tomatoes, avocados, etc. for topping if desired Sauce:

1 cup diced onion 3 Tbsps. chopped garlic 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. ground cumin ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon 3 Tbsps. all-purpose flour 3-5 Tbsps. chili powder, to taste 4 ½ cups chicken broth 1.5oz milk chocolate Spray 9x13” baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons butter for sauce in large saucepan over medium-high high heat. Sauté 1 cup onion in butter until tender. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon. Sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in flour and chili powder, stirring until sauce thickens. Slowly whisk in chicken broth. Taste and add more chili powder if desired. Reduce until sauce reaches desired consistency. Stir in chocolate until melted and well blended. In medium skillet, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft. If chicken is cold, add to skillet and heat 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Take tortilla and line with onion and chicken. Top with about 2 teaspoons sauce and add cheese as desired. Roll tortilla and place seam side down in prepared baking dish. Repeat until pan is full. Top with leftover sauce and more cheese if desired. Bake in preheated oven 1012 minutes or until cheese is melted and center is hot. Top with sour cream and other toppings as desired. Serve immediately.

--- Spiced Chocolate Chip Bread 1½ cups white sugar 1 cup sour cream ¾ cup butter, melted 2 eggs 1½ cups mashed banana 2 tsps. pure vanilla extract ½ tsp. rum extract 2½ cups all-purpose flour ¼ tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 tsp. ground ginger ½ tsp. ground nutmeg 1 cup chocolate chips Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray 9x13” baking pan with cooking spray. Mix sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs in large bowl using electric mixer on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape bowl and add bananas, vanilla extract and rum flavoring. Beat well. Combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in bowl and mix well. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture and beat on medium speed until well mixed, 1-2 minutes. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread batter into prepared pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.

--- Chocolate Fat Bombs

6oz cream cheese, softened ½ cup finely chopped walnuts or other soft nut as desired ⅓ cup chopped unsweetened baking chocolate 3 Tbsps. granular monk fruit sweetener, more or less to taste 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract Melt chocolate in melting pot or double boiler. In medium bowl, microwave cream cheese for 10-15 seconds until soft and pliable. Add sweetener and vanilla to cream cheese, stirring until well-mixed. Add melted chocolate. Vigorously stir until smooth. If too thick to stir, microwave the mixture for 5 to 10 seconds to soften cream cheese more. Stir in walnuts until evenly distributed. Refrigerate, covered, 4 hours or until mixture has solidified enough to scoop. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Using small cookie scoop, scoop mixture into balls and place on baking sheet. Place baking sheet in freezer until solid, about 2 hours, before serving or storing. Store leftovers in freezer.

Recipe adapted from savorytooth.com.

--- Death by Chocolate Cocktail

1oz coffee liqueur 1oz vanilla vodka 1oz crème de cacao liqueur 1.5oz Irish cream 2 scoops of ice cream 1 cup ice Milk chocolate syrup and whipped cream, for garnish if desired Tilt glass slightly. Pour chocolate syrup around inside of glass. Set aside. Chocolate will run down as it sits. Place ice and coffee liqueur in blender. Crush ice. Add remaining ingredients. Blend until combined. Stop with whipped cream if desired. Serve immediately. So good!

Recipe adapted from blacktailnyc.com.