Hot Chocolate

In this episode of the I Can't Sleep Podcast, fall asleep learning about hot chocolate. There's enough history here to distract you from how delicious this beverage is. I probably need some right now... Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,

Where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster.

Today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled,

Hot Chocolate.

Hot chocolate,

Also known as hot cocoa or drinking chocolate,

Is a heated drink consisting of shaved or melted chocolate or cocoa powder,

Heated milk or water,

And usually a sweetener.

It is often garnished with whipped cream or marshmallows.

Hot chocolate made with melted chocolate is sometimes called drinking chocolate,

Characterized by less sweetness and a thicker consistency.

The first chocolate drink is believed to have been created by the Maya around 2,

500 to 3,

000 years ago,

And a cocoa drink was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 AD,

By which they were referred to as Huaclatl.

The drink became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in the New World and has undergone multiple changes since then.

Until the 19th century,

Hot chocolate was used medicinally to treat ailments such as liver and stomach diseases.

Hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world and comes in multiple varieties,

Including the spiced chocolate parmesa of Latin America,

The very thick chocolate calda served in Italy,

And chocolate a la taza served in Spain,

And the thinner hot cocoa consumed in the United States.

Prepared hot chocolate can be purchased from a range of establishments,

Including cafeterias,

Fast food restaurants,

Coffee houses,

And tea houses.

Powdered hot chocolate mixes,

Which can be added to boiling water or hot milk to make the drink at home,

Are sold at grocery stores and online.

Archaeologists have found evidence that Mayan chocolate consumption occurred as early as 500 BC,

And there is speculation that chocolate predates even the Mayans.

To make the chocolate drink,

Which was served cold,

The Maya ground cocoa seeds into a paste and mixed it with water,

Cornmeal,

Chili peppers,

And other ingredients.

They then poured the drink back and forth from a cup to a pot until a thick foam developed.

Chocolate was available to Maya of all social classes,

Although the wealthy drank chocolate from large spouted vessels that were often buried with elites.

An early classical period Mayan tomb from the side of Rio Azul,

Guatemala,

Has vessels from the Maya glyph for cacao on them with residue of a chocolate drink.

Because sugar was yet to come to the Americas,

Guacalato was said to be an acquired taste.

Although the Spaniards then called guacalato was said to be a drink consisting of a chocolate-based flavor with vanilla and other spices that was served cold,

The drink tasted spicy and bitter as opposed to sweetened modern hot chocolate.

As to when guacalato was first served hot,

Sources conflict on when and by whom.

However,

José de Acosta,

A Spanish Jesuit missionary who lived in Peru and then Mexico in the later 16th century,

Described guacalato as loathsome to such as are not acquainted with it,

Having a scum or froth that has very unpleasant taste.

Yet it is a drink very much esteemed among the Indians,

Wherewith they feast noblemen who pass through their country.

The Spaniards,

Both men and women,

That are accustomed to the country,

Are very greedy for this chocolate.

They say they make diverse sorts of it,

Some hot,

Some cold,

And some temperate,

But therein much of that chili,

Yea,

They make paste thereof,

The which they say is good for the stomach and against the catarrha.

Within Mesoamerica,

Many drinks were made from cacao beans and further enhanced by flowers like vanilla to add flavor.

This was a tribute to the Aztecs.

The Aztecs,

Or Mexico,

Required conquered people to provide them with chocolate.

Cups,

Gourds,

Cacao beans,

As well as other things they acquired,

Were listed in the Essential Codex Mendoza.

Cacao became used as a currency throughout Mesoamerica.

The Aztecs used chocolate to show high status.

It was a bad omen for someone low or common to drink chocolate.

Europeans' first recorded contact with chocolate was not until 1502 on Columbus' fourth voyage.

After defeating Montezuma's warriors and demanding that the Aztec nobles hand over their valuables,

Cortes returned to Spain in 1528,

Bringing cacao beans and chocolate drink-making equipment with them.

At this time,

Chocolate still only existed in the bitter drink invented by the Mayas.

Sweet hot chocolate and bar chocolate were yet to be invented.

After its introduction to Europe,

The drink slowly gained popularity.

The imperial court of Emperor Charles V soon adopted the drink,

And what was then only known as chocolate became a fashionable drink popular with the Spanish upper class.

Additionally,

Cacao was given as a dowry when members of the Spanish royal family married other European aristocrats.

At the time,

Chocolate was very expensive in Europe because the cacao beans only grew in South America.

Sweet-tasting hot chocolate was then invented,

Leading hot chocolate to become a luxury item among the European nobility by the 17th century.

And when the first chocolate house,

An establishment similar to a modern coffee shop,

Opened in 1657,

Chocolate was still very expensive,

Costing 50-75 pence,

Approximately 10-15 shillings a pound,

Roughly 45-65 pounds in 2016.

At the time,

Hot chocolate was often mixed with spices for flavor.

One notable recipe was hot chocolate infused with fresh jasmine flowers,

Amber,

Musk,

Vanilla,

And ambergris.

In the late 17th century,

Sir Hans Sloane,

President of the Royal College of Physicians,

Visited Jamaica,

Where he was introduced to cacao.

He found it nauseous,

But by mixing it with milk made it more palatable.

When Sloane returned to England,

He brought the recipe with him,

Introducing milk chocolate to England.

The aristocratic nature of the drink led to chocolate being referred to as the drink of the gods in 1797.

The Spanish began to use jicaros made of porcelain in place of the hollowed gourds used by the natives.

They then further tinkered with the recipes by using spices such as cinnamon,

Black pepper,

Anise,

And sesame.

Many of these things were used to try to recreate the flavor of the native flowers,

Which they could not easily acquire.

Black pepper was used to replace chilies,

Cinnamon was used in place of orejuelas,

Sugar replaced honey.

In 1828,

Conrad Johannes van Houten developed the first cocoa powder-producing machine in the Netherlands.

The press separated the greasy cocoa butter from cacao seeds,

Leaving a purer chocolate powder behind.

This powder was easy to stir into milk and water.

As a result,

Another very important discovery was made,

Solid chocolate.

By using cocoa powder and low amounts of cocoa butter,

It was then possible to manufacture chocolate bars.

The term chocolate then came to mean solid chocolate rather than hot chocolate,

With the first chocolate bar being created in 1847.

According to tradition,

The Italian version,

Cioccolata Calda,

Was first born in Turin around 1560.

To celebrate that,

The capital of the Duchy of Savoy was moved from Chambray to Turin.

Emmanuel Philbert,

Duke of Savoy,

Asked for a new beverage,

And so this thicker,

Creamier version was created.

A distinction is sometimes made between hot cocoa made from cocoa powder,

Ground cacao beans from which much of the cocoa butter has been removed,

And hot chocolate,

Made directly from bar chocolate,

Which already contains cocoa,

Sugar,

And cocoa butter.

Thus,

The major difference between the two is the cocoa butter,

The absence of which makes hot cocoa significantly lower in fat than hot chocolate,

While still preserving all the antioxidants found in chocolate.

Hot chocolate can be made with dark,

Semi-sweet,

Or bittersweet chocolate,

Grated or chopped into small pieces,

And stirred into milk with the addition of sugar.

Cocoa usually refers to a drink made with cocoa powder,

Hot milk,

Or water,

And sweetened to taste with sugar,

Or not sweetened at all.

Instant hot chocolate or hot cocoa mix may be based on cocoa powder,

Powdered chocolate,

Or both.

Often includes powdered milk or comparable ingredients,

So it can be made without using milk.

Sugar or other sweeteners,

And typically stabilizers and thickeners.

However,

Mixes can vary widely,

Between countries and often between brands,

In ingredients included,

Their ratio,

And their quality.

Whipped cream and marshmallows are frequently added to hot chocolate.

Co-bromine found in cocoa solids is fat-soluble.

Cocoa beans contain significant amount of fats,

But cocoa powder is usually de-fatted.

However,

Adding fat to de-fatted cocoa powder will increase its bioavailability.

Rum is added to hot chocolate to make a La Mumba.

Today hot chocolate in the form of drinking chocolate or cocoa is considered a comfort food and is widely consumed in many parts of the world.

European hot chocolate tends to be relatively thick and rich,

While in the United States the thinner instant version is consumed more often.

In Nigeria hot chocolate is referred to as tea,

Even though it is not actually a tea due to the Nigerian custom of referring to drinks consumed in the morning as tea.

Many regions have distinctive additives or toppings ranging from marshmallow and whipped cream to cheese.

In mainland Europe,

Particularly Spain and Italy,

Hot chocolate is sometimes served very thick due to the use of thickening agents such as cornstarch.

One of the thick forms of hot chocolate served in Europe is the Italian cioccolata calda.

Hot chocolate with churros is the traditional working man's breakfast in Spain.

This style of hot chocolate can be extremely thick,

Often having the consistency of warm chocolate pudding.

In the Netherlands hot chocolate is a very popular drink known as warm cioccolata milk.

It is often served at home or in cafes.

In France hot chocolate is often served at breakfast time.

Sometimes sliced bread spread with butter,

Jam,

Honey or Nutella is dunked into the hot chocolate.

In Germany,

Hot chocolate made by melted chocolate,

Heisse Cioccolata Wiener Ad,

Is distinguished from those made from powders.

Drink Cioccolata.

It is often served with whipped cream on top.

Even further variations of hot chocolate exist.

In some cafes in Belgium and other areas in Europe,

One who orders a warme Cioccolata or Cioccolat Schaud receives a cup of steaming white milk and a small bowl of bittersweet chocolate chips to dissolve in the milk.

One Viennese variant,

Heisse Cioccolata Wiener Ad,

Contains an egg yolk for sickness.

In the United States and Canada the drink is popular in instant form,

Made with hot water or milk from a packet containing mostly cocoa powder,

Sugar and dry milk.

This is the thinner of the two main variations.

It is very sweet and may be topped with marshmallows,

Whipped cream or a piece of solid chocolate.

Hot chocolate was first brought to North America as early as the 17th century by the Dutch,

But the first time colonists began selling hot chocolate was around 1755.

Traditionally,

Hot chocolate has been associated with cold weather and winter in the United States and Canada.

Hot chocolate mixed with espresso or coffee under the name of café mocha is sold in coffee shops around the United States and elsewhere.

This particular name comes from the town Mocha,

Yemen,

Where a specific blend of coffee with the same name is grown.

In Mexico,

Hot chocolate remains a popular national drink,

Often including semi-sweet chocolate,

Cinnamon,

Sugar and vanilla.

Hot chocolate of this type is commonly sold in singular or hexagonal tablets,

Which can be dissolved into hot milk,

Water or cream,

And then blended until the mixture develops a creamy froth.

A 1942 article in the Chicago Tribune describes Mexican cinnamon hot chocolate as being traditionally served alongside a variety of sweet Mexican pastries,

Such as pan dulce or churros.

In Colombia,

A hot chocolate drink made with milk and water using a chocolatera and milonillo is enjoyed as part of breakfast with bread and soft fresh farmer's cheese.

Colombian hot chocolate is often topped with a soft farmer's cheese or other mild cheese.

Similarly,

Hot chocolate in Ecuador is often topped with cheese.

In Peru,

Hot chocolate can be served with panettone at breakfast on Christmas Day,

Even though summer has already started in the Southern Hemisphere.

In addition,

Many Peruvians will add a sweet chocolate syrup to their drink.

The Argentinian submarino is a hot chocolate drink made from adding a chocolate bar and sugar to hot steamed milk.

In the Philippines,

The native hot chocolate drink is known as chocolate.

It is made from tablia,

Tablets of pure ground roasted cacao beans,

Dissolved in water and milk.

Like in Spanish and Latin American versions,

The drink is traditionally made in a chocolatera and briskly mixed with a wooden baton called the molinillo,

Also called batidor or batirol,

Causing the drink to be characteristically frothy.

Chocolate is typically sweetened with a bit of muscovado sugar and has a distinctive grainy texture.

From the 16th to the 19th centuries,

Hot chocolate was valued as a medicine as well as a drink.

The explorer Francisco Hernández wrote that chocolate drinks helped treat fever and liver disease.

Another explorer,

Santiago de Valverde Turises,

Believed that large amounts of hot chocolate were helpful in treating chest ailments and that smaller amounts could help stomach disorders.

When chocolate was introduced to the French in the 17th century,

It was reportedly used to fight against fits of anger and bad moods,

Which may be attributed to chocolate's phenylethylamine content.

Today hot chocolate is consumed for pleasure rather than medicinally,

But new research suggests that there may be other health benefits attributed to the drink.

Several negative effects can be attributed to drinking hot chocolate,

As some hot chocolate recipes contain high amounts of sugar,

Hydrogenated oils,

Or fats.

When chocolate first began to grow in popularity,

It was opposed by the Catholic Church.

It was seen to lack the ability to break fast,

Seen as it was consumed in its liquid form.

Coffee was the other popular trend which was seen as good for the body but bad for the mind.

Chocolate began being consumed as a way to replenish one's body from the effects that coffee caused.

It was said to nourish one's body and potency.

Research has shown that the consumption of hot chocolate can be positive for one's health.

A study conducted by Cornell University has shown that hot chocolate contains more antioxidants than wine and tea,

Therefore reducing the risk of heart disease.

In a single serving of cocoa,

The researchers found 611 mg of Gallic Acid Equivalents,

GAE,

And 564 mg of Epication Equivalents,

ECE,

Compared with 340 mg of GAE and 163 mg of ECE in red wine,

And 165 mg of GAE and 47 mg of ECE in green tea.

Changyong Lee,

The professor and researcher at Cornell who conducted the study,

Revealed that larger amounts of antioxidants are released when the drink is heated.

The flavonoids found in the cocoa that makes up hot chocolate also have a positive effect on arterial health.

A particular study performed by the National Institutes of Health,

Partially supported by Mars Chocolate Company,

Showed high amounts of improvement in blood flow after drinking a flavanol-rich cocoa drink.

In the study,

The subjects,

27 people ages 18 to 72,

Drank a cocoa drink containing 900 mg of flavanols every day,

Which resulted in an improvement in blood flow and the function of endothelial cells that line blood vessels.

In further studies conducted by Dr.

Norman K.

Hollenberg,

Professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School,

Found that flavanols may also help vessels dilate and help keep platelets from clustering on the blood vessel walls.

Flavonoids found in hot chocolate are beneficial to health,

Mainly because they shield the walls of blood vessels from free radical damage.

Flavanols are also thought to help reduce blood platelet buildup and can balance levels of compounds called eicosanoids,

Which may be beneficial to cardiovascular health.

Several negative risks may be attributed to the drinking of hot chocolate.

The types and severity of health risks vary between different styles of hot chocolate.

Hot chocolate made from milk also contains lactose naturally found in milk.

Processed cocoa powder usually contains additional sugars.

Some brands also contain hydrogenated oils and fats,

The most common of which are coconut derivatives.

Chocolate milk is a type of flavored milk made by mixing cocoa solids with milk,

Either dairy or plant-based.

It is a food pairing in which the milk's mouthfeel masks the dietary fibers of the cocoa solids.

The liquid carbohydrates in milks like cow milk or oat milk may be sufficient on its own to mask the bitterness from the theobromine.

However,

Most often additional sweeteners are added to make the drink taste sweet.

However,

The particles from cocoa solids in homemade chocolate milk will quickly sediment to the bottom,

So the solution should be shaken or stirred before consumption to avoid uneven concentration.

This is not a problem in some ready-to-drink chocolate milks.

Sugar used in commercial chocolate milk are used as preservative,

And the energy from the sugar also makes it a convenience food.

It can also be made at home by blending milk with cocoa powder and a sweetener,

Such as sugar or a sugar substitute,

Melted chocolate,

Chocolate syrup,

Or a pre-made powdered chocolate milk mix.

Other ingredients such as starch,

Salt,

Carrageenan,

Vanilla,

Or artificial flavoring are sometimes added.

To add nutritional value to the product,

Sometimes some minerals like zinc oxide or iron are added.

In New York City,

School food officials report that nearly 60% of the 100 million cartons served each year contain fat-free chocolate milk.

Some nutritionists have criticized chocolate milk for its high sugar content and its relationship to childhood obesity.

Because chocolate milk can contain twice as much sugar as plain low-fat milk from added sugars,

Some school districts have stopped serving the product altogether.

Dark chocolate milk has more cocoa solids than conventional chocolate milk.

However,

Added sugar can still contribute to health problems.

Drink mixes of cocoa powder and a sweetener can be either homemade or commercially manufactured.

Ready-to-drink chocolate milk are produced by homogenization.

At or below room temperature,

Chocolate is a solid,

Which does not dissolve but instead remains a powdered solid suspended in milk.

The suspension must be stabilized,

Otherwise the powder will settle.

Separation can be slowed by any of the following.

Reduce particle size,

For example by tempering chocolate.

Reduce particle density by incorporating air pockets.

Increase the viscosity of the milk by adding thickening agents.

Carrageenan is used at very low concentrations to form an imperceptible weak gel that prevents the large,

Dense particles of chocolate from sedimentation.

Ready-to-drink chocolate milk should be refrigerated like unflavored milk except some ultra-high temperature pasteurized drinks,

Which can be stored at room temperature.

However,

It is generally served cold.

The nutritional qualities of chocolate milk are the subject of debate.

While some studies criticize the high sugar content of chocolate milk,

Other studies suggest that chocolate milk is nutritionally superior to white.

Ready-to-drink chocolate milk contains fewer antioxidants,

Caffeine,

Etc.

,

Due to oxidation from the water in the milk.

A number of studies have been issued in regard to chocolate milk nutrition.

A 2005 study by the New York City Department of Education found that by removing whole milk and replacing it with low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk,

Students were served an estimated 5,

960 fewer calories and 619 fewer grams of fat per year.

However,

More recent studies show that fat-free and low-fat milk may actually increase body fat and contribute to obesity.

Whole milk may,

In fact,

Be healthier for obese children than low-fat or non-fat milk.

An April 2007 study from Loughborough University indicated that low-fat milk was an effective rehydration drink.

A November 2009 study conducted by scientists in Barcelona,

Spain,

Suggests that regularly consuming skimmed milk with cocoa-rich inflavonoids may reduce inflammation and slow or prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

The study notes that its effects are not as pronounced as seen in consumption of red wine.

However,

In a single serving of cocoa,

Other researchers found 611 mg of gallic acid equivalents and 564 mg of epicatechin equivalents,

Compared with 340 mg of GAE and 163 mg of ECE in red wine,

And 165 mg of GAE and 47 mg of ECE in green tea.

A study published in 2009 compared chocolate milk to a commercial recovery beverage,

Matched for carbohydrate and protein content,

Administered to cyclists after intense workouts.

The researchers found no difference in post-workout plasma creatine kinase levels and muscle soreness,

Nor in cycling time to exhaustion.

However,

Being that chocolate milk is usually less expensive than commercial recovery beverages,

The researchers concluded that chocolate milk serves as a more convenient,

Cheaper recovery beverage option for many athletes.

A May 2010 sports nutrition study concluded that exercise recovery during short-term periods of heavy soccer training appears to be similar when isocaloric CM chocolate milk and CHO carbohydrate beverages are consumed post-exercise.

Yet another study in 2011 at Kean University in New Jersey concluded similar results in male soccer players,

Discovering that there was an increase in time to fatigue when chocolate milk was consumed.

The Kean University study also viewed chocolate milk's effects on female soccer players undergoing morning and afternoon practices during preseason.

They were either given the carbohydrate electrolyte beverage or chocolate milk between morning and afternoon preseason practices.

Following every afternoon practice,

Each athlete completed a shuttle run to fatigue.

The study concluded that chocolate milk is just as beneficial as the carbohydrate electrolyte beverage in promoting recovery in women.

Chocolate has oxalic acid,

Which reacts with the calcium in the milk producing calcium oxalate,

Thus preventing the calcium from being absorbed in the intestine.

However,

It is present in small enough amounts that the effect on calcium absorption is negligible,

2-3%.

As chocolate contains relatively small amounts of oxalate,

It is unclear to what extent chocolate consumption affects healthy people with calcium-rich diets.

In a 2008 study,

Participants who consumed one or more servings of chocolate on a daily basis had lower bone density and strength than those participants who ate a serving of chocolate six times a week or less.

Researchers believe this may be due to oxalate inhibiting calcium absorption.

But it could also be due to sugar content in chocolate,

Which may increase calcium excretion.

It is clear,

However,

That consuming foods high in oxalate,

And in turn their effect on calcium absorption,

Is a more significant concern for people with oxalate kidney stones,

Which occur when there is too much oxalate in the urine.

These people especially should reduce their oxalate intake and increase their calcium intake.

However,

The high magnesium content in chocolate is likely to reduce the risk of stone formation,

Because like citrate,

Magnesium is also an inhibitor of urinary crystal formation.

Milk has probably been added to chocolate drinks since both ingredients were available to people.

The first domesticated cattle were introduced to the Caribbean in 1493 by Christopher Columbus.

Reciprocally,

Cocoa was introduced in Europe in the 1520s.

The Natural History Museum lists Irish botanist Hans Sloane as inventor of drinking chocolate with milk.

Sloane found the local Jamaican beverage consisting of cacao and water served to him in Jamaica unpalatable.

But by adding milk to it,

He found it much improved.

However,

According to historian James Del Borgo,

The Jamaicans were brewing a hot beverage brewed from shavings of freshly harvested cacao,

Boiled with milk and cinnamon,

As far back as 1494.

In the late 19th century,

Swiss entrepreneur Daniel Peter developed a solid dehydrated version of chocolate milk,

So that it could easily be portioned,

Transported,

And conserved.

Fresh milk was rare in the cities.

He eventually created milk chocolate in 1875.

Reviews

Thank you! It was fun to learn more about hot chocolate, and then I fell asleep!

Very boring. I learned nothing but I fell asleep quickly. 😴

Great topic AND I fell asleep. Winning combination. Thank you once again.

Thank you! I always give these five stars! You are much appreciated. 😊

Great topic! Now I am going to listen again as my cat woke me up. Hopefully I’ll be bored right to sleep. 😂😊🥰