Christina here and today I’ve got chocolate on my mind. Not just today, actually, but most days because I’m a complete chocoholic! But here’s the thing – I haven’t had a single piece for the last week. Not one tiny crumb! Unfortunately, this is necessary because my chocolate consumption had been going through the roof recently. What with being at home all the time during lockdown and not moving enough, drastic measures were called for.
I did try cutting down at first, but found it was calling to me, and time after time I headed for the fridge without even realising I was doing it. Going cold turkey seemed the only option and I figured it would get easier after a few days. It has. Sort of. But the yearning for chocolate hasn’t totally gone away.
The main problem is that chocolate has been my writing aid for many years. I can honestly say that all my books to date have been fuelled by chocolate. It woke me up in the mornings and made me alert enough to type coherent sentences, even though I’m really a night owl. Whenever I flagged and my energy levels felt depleted, a couple of squares of chocolate spurred me on. And as a reward for work well done or a day of writing finished, there was nothing better. In short, I used any excuse to have some, which is probably why I’m feeling its loss so keenly now.
It’s weird how our minds work though – I’ve functioned perfectly well this last week without any chocolate. Sure, the craving is still there, and I can’t count the number of times I’ve headed for the fridge, opened it and stared forlornly at the empty space where my usual Bourneville bar ought to be. But has it stopped me from writing? Not really, but I can’t help feeling as though I would have written more if I’d had my usual chocolate rewards. Silly, but there it is.
I googled “is chocolate a drug?” because that’s honestly how it feels. I know that logically it’s just a bad habit I’ve got into and mostly I’m experiencing a sugar craving, but chocolate also contains things like caffeine and theobromine. I don’t drink tea or coffee except on rare occasions, so I was substituting that for chocolate instead, which worked perfectly. Apparently, these “drugs” stimulate the opiate receptors in our brains and they also lead to a release of neurochemicals that make us feel pleasure. And I found an article that says a study at Princeton University in 2008 found that rats who were given sugar (in the form of glucose) had the same receptors stimulated as when taking heroin!
Another article said that “brain scans have confirmed that intermittent sugar consumption affects the brain in ways similar to certain drugs … sugar meets the criteria for a substance of abuse and may be addictive to those who binge on it (see here). It sure is, especially combined with the other chocolate ingredients.
There are tiny amounts of other stimulants and drugs in chocolate, one of them being serotonin. I think we all know that this is a chemical that gives a feeling of well-being. The Aztecs even believed that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, but that’s not really true. Although it might excite our senses, it has not been proven by scientists to have any physical sexual effect. Chocolate contains some chemicals that could potentially work, but there just aren’t enough of them to make any real difference. However, eating it might put you in the mood because you’re already feeling good (the serotonin again), so it’s more psychological.
The Aztecs and the Mayans thought the cacao seeds (which come from the Theobroma Cacao tree) were a gift from the gods and valued them so highly they even used them as a type of currency. They didn’t mix them with sugar though, like we do, but drank it as a bitter liquid, and apparently wanted it to be frothy. When the Spanish Conquistadors brought it to Europe in the 16th century, the cacao seed was at first thought to have medicinal properties, perhaps because it’s a stimulant, but later it was just consumed for pleasure. Sugar wasn’t added until later and then it became a very popular drink – understandably so!
Our historical heroines often have a cup of hot chocolate brought to them in the morning by their maid, and it sounds so luxurious, I always enjoy it with them vicariously. Maybe I shouldn’t though, because this wasn’t the kind we would have now. Early recipes didn’t always contain milk (it was optional) and don’t come topped with whipped cream and marshmallows (the latter is not something I like personally, but I know lots of people do). And the cacao beans were mixed with all sorts of spices. There’s a 17th century recipe on the National Trust’s Dyrham House website here which doesn’t appeal to me as it contains cloves, star anise and cayenne pepper. It also has a much larger ratio of cacao to sugar than what I would use myself, which must make it fairly bitter, and adding cinnamon would surely dilute or mask the taste quite a lot? (I’m not going to try it, but if any of you feel like experimenting, please let me know what you think of this recipe).
There’s also an 18th century recipe here which includes even more spices – I’m afraid just the thought of this makes me shudder! Other things that could be included were red pepper, black pepper, chilis, cardamom, nutmeg and rose water. Hmm, not my cup of tea … or chocolate, either. Vanilla on the other hand – yes, I don’t mind adding a bit of that!
I’m very fussy and like my chocolate “pure”, not with any additions other than possibly nuts. These days artisan handmade chocolates seem to be all the rage, and the makers compete to add the most outlandish of ingredients (or so it appears to me). Anything from sea salt to licorice, to various types of alcohol and fruit. That all leaves me cold (although I might, at a pinch, eat chocolate with mint in it if there’s nothing else available). The pure taste of milk or dark chocolate is so delicious in itself – why would it need to be tampered with? But I guess it’s a good thing we are all different!
A favourite film of mine is, of course, Chocolat (based on the novel by Joanne Harris), which shows that chocolate stimulates not just our taste buds, but our senses in every way. The scenes where the heroine prepares her various chocolate recipes are sensuous, shown in great detail, and has us drinking in the sight of the glorious result. The rich, luxurious texture, the smoothness of cacao powder mixed with cream and butter – it all makes you crave it even more. The temptation to rush off and grab some is almost irresistible. I was reminded of that film when I attended a romance convention in Kansas some years ago. One of the highlights was a book signing event that featured chocolate fountains. I had never seen one before and it was a wonderful sight!
Chocolate bars and chocolate for eating rather than drinking are a fairly recent invention. It wasn’t produced in solid form until 1847 and milk chocolate was invented in 1875. The Swiss were early producers and are famous for their chocolates, as are the Belgians. Here in the UK we have Cadbury’s, who apparently started making boxed chocolates in the late 1860s, while in the US Hershey’s was begun in the 1890s. Being half Swedish, I am of course very partial to their most famous brand, Marabou, which is very similar to the Swiss types.
Well, it was probably unwise of me to write a blog post about chocolate, since it’s made me want some even more, but for now I will persevere and go without. Hopefully my writing won’t suffer too much and it might even help me get into the mindset of my latest heroine who has travelled back in time to the Viking era. She will be missing chocolate just as much as I am; in fact, the only sweet things to be found there would be honey and berries. I think I’ll give time travelling a miss – at least I have the option of going to a shop if I get truly desperate!
Can you do without chocolate? Or is there something else you don’t want to be without?