Recently in Chocolate - Misc. Category
Back again, with another installment of our chocolate-y reading list -- a set of the sweetest literature ever to hit the shelves. By this we mean books with chocolate in the title and as a major theme, of course.
As always, easily get these books online, and you can usually find them in your local bookstore, too. And remember -- also as always, these books just barely represent all the books about chocolate that you can find out there.
When last we left you, we were at the end of our travels to museums of chocolate in Canada. Come meander with us south of the Canadian border, and discover a handful of famous U.S. chocolate museums that you shouldn't miss.
In parts I-III of this series, we told you about famous museums of chocolate all over Europe, from Switzerland to Italy to England --a total of 11 European countries boast chocolate museums. In Part IV, we'll explore museums of chocolate on this side of the pond, in Canada. Quebec and New Brunswick please extreme chocolate fans in a few different ways.
Never heard of chocolate theft? It's America's fastest growing crime, an epidemic sweeping the nation... well, maybe not. But we're not just talking about shoplifting a chocolate bar here. We're talking about real, serious crime -- or if not serious, at least illegal.
Since chocolate had its beginnings in a humble laboratory, it's only right that science dedicate itself to discovering the perfect chocolate. British chocolate manufacturer Cadbury has spent much of the last decade financing a study on chocolate's crystalline structures and how they affect taste in search of the perfect chocolate.
You know when you buy chocolate bars and they have that disgusting white film covering them? You might have chalked it up to a poor quality of chocolate, but the fact is improper storage is the more likely culprit. Chocolate is an extremely delicate substance. If you want it to last as long as possible -- and still taste great when you get to it -- you have to store it properly.
While we like to think that chocolate works for just about any dish, there are some that seem rather unlikely -- and chocolate pasta is one of them. Now, this category can include pasta that is itself cocoa-flavored, or regular semolina pasta with chocolate sauce. In this article, we're going with the former.
A little extreme? Maybe. But then again, chocolate beet cake seemed a little out there, and so did chocolate sauerkraut cake -- and we've provided recipes for both. So why should we hesitate with chocolate-flavored pasta? Hmmm? Set your course for adventure, then, and follow along!
While I was driving yesterday, I heard a radio commercial for chocolate jewelry that got my stomach growling. Just the mention of chocolate is enough to get me thinking about it for hours. But, unfortunately, the chocolate being advertised was not edible. It seems that food-like descriptions have made their way to the world of jewelry. As if diamonds weren't already enough to make you drool, there are now chocolate diamonds, as well as chocolate gold and chocolate pearls.
When I write about chocolate, I want to eat it. I think it's just human nature. So as I was sitting down to write this article, I had a few pieces of chocolate and a small carton of chocolate milk on the desk beside me.
Suddenly, out of nowhere came an eight pound rabbit, her smaller sibling right behind her. They landed on the keyboard and began running amok on the desk. By the time I realized what had happened, the big bunny had gobbled down two Hershey's Kisses and the little bunny had actually picked up the carton of milk, jumped off the desk, run across the room -- without spilling any -- and was licking it up out of the spout.
So I started thinking: is chocolate dangerous for bunnies? Did I just kill my rabbit? Or is that a phenomenon limited to dogs?
Since there's only one species of Theobroma cacao, the tropical tree that produces chocolate, you might think it unlikely that different types of cacao beans should even exist. Well, think again. Over the years, cacao experts have defined three different varieties. Or four. Or maybe two. It depends on the expert.
Before crying foul, recall that the Chihuahua and the St. Bernard, and all the hundreds of breeds between, all belong to the same species of domestic dog; and the humblest banana pepper is brother to the hottest habanero. With that in mind, let's take a look at variation within the aptly-named "food of the gods."
