This is the ultimate treat for chocolate lovers: with the history of the food of the gods to choco-myths and famous chocoholics; with choco-horoscopes, choco-games and choco-recipes. So go on, tear off the wrapper and indulge in Chocoheaven...

‘In the beginning God created chocolate and he saw that it was good. Then He separated the light from the dark and saw that it was better.’ Unknown Once upon a time there was a small but perfectly formed cacao bean. Its posh name was (and indeed still is) Theobroma Cacao, which means ‘food of the gods’. The Maya people were the first to twig to this amazing little bean over 1500 years ago. They believed it possessed awesome powers and used it in worship rituals. The Aztecs also held the cacao bean in similar esteem and associated it with their god, Quetzalcoatl. Both cultures used the beans as currency, and also as the basis of a brew that they believed would imbue them with power and wisdom.

 

For the Europeans, though, it wasn’t until the Spaniard Christopher Columbus went on his travels in the sixteenth century that the bean’s properties began to become known. Columbus returned to Spain from his journeys of discovery to the Americas, and among the gifts he presented to the King and Queen was the precious cacao bean. This wee bean was to take the Western World by storm, inciting a passion for chocolate that people were only too happy to embrace. Though the Spanish invented a sweet hot chocolate drink, France really caught on to the chocolate frenzy around 1643 and from that point onward the drink was very fashionable in the Court of Louis XIV. Some believe that chocolate has aphrodisiac properties and, true or not, it was chocolate’s reputation as sugary Viagra that made it extremely popular in Paris. Ooh la la!

 

Choco-Chronicle 7 Top-of-the-Chocs 12 Chocotionary 17 Choco-Love 25 Choco-Lust 29 Easter Eggs 33 Truffle Trivia 36 A Choco Party 43 Choc-Cook 53 Choco-Horoscopes 74 Top-Choco-Tips 82

'a sweet little book.'

 

'Perfect for chocolate monsters everywhere.' West Sussex Gazette

 

'With the history of the food of the gods to choco-myths and famous chocoholics; choco-horoscopes; choco-games and choco-recipes this is a treat for chocolate lovers. The ultimate gift for chocoholics, " Chocoheaven" is a blend of history, anecdotes, quirky facts, recipes, games and choco-humour. First discovered by the Mayans and Aztecs in South America and used by the Aztec emperor Montezuma to maintain his sexual energy needed to satisfy his sizeable harem, it was not until the 1600s that it reached Europe via Christopher Colombus. And it was not long before its aphrodisiacal properties took hold among the upper classes both sides of the Channel. The Marquis de Sade, Casanova and more used it to entice lovers whilst physicians proclaimed it a veritable cure-all. Today it is readily available the world over in all shapes and forms. A massive 11kg per person per year is supposedly consumed and although no longer viewed as an aphrodisiac, many will do anything for a bit (but preferably more!) of chocolate. A choco addicts delight.. - Lucy Watson '

 

Chocoheaven by Corrine Munday
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