When in my early 20's, I was taken to Cadbury World in Bournville, UK; and whilst I will admit to being a slight choco-holic, all that mass production was enough to dampen any love affair ... except perhaps for two things which I took away with me - the first a recipe book (no surprise here!), much treasured and now very kitchen-worn; and the second a taste of true hot chocolate (or as near as could be recreated)
Xcoatl! The Mayan food of the gods.
Sadly, I am told that today, that specific part of the tour no longer stands - not commercial enough! Not sweet enough & definitely not enough profit margin!
And so to my dream, my fantasy ...
Imagine waking up on a lazy weekend morning, no where to rush to, nothing planned. As I slowly open my eyes, my nose gets playfully tickled, enticed if you will by something, a smell, what is it? Definitely not brewing coffee, this is darker, subtler, heady.
As all the senses shift into focus, albeit through a soft haze, I hear the gentle padding of my loved ones' feet on the floor boards below.
Now different smells filter through - spicy, a little sweet, still soft.
And finally he, and IT! arrives - a pure and truly blissful brew - cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and the smallest hint of chilli (perhaps to warm one up or ignite some passion - the Mayan people must have had a good reason to include it after all).
The brew is soft, velvety in texture, heady, overwhelmingly seductive, sweetened with just the smallest pinch of sugar. As I sip, I am transported through the barriers of time and space as I explore every sensation, searching deep within its soul, and that of my lover - transformed from mere mortal to Mayan hero - I know the day this happens to me, surely I shall never leave my bed!
.... Sadly there is no recipe for the original, the ones available thru research are based on sketchy records (although the history is very in depth) and possibly some guesswork, ingredients not easily available and some very strange. I think however with a little playing around, this is something that maybe, just maybe, we should look at going back to an original rather than staying with the new age.
Xcoatl! The Mayan food of the gods.
Sadly, I am told that today, that specific part of the tour no longer stands - not commercial enough! Not sweet enough & definitely not enough profit margin!
And so to my dream, my fantasy ...
Imagine waking up on a lazy weekend morning, no where to rush to, nothing planned. As I slowly open my eyes, my nose gets playfully tickled, enticed if you will by something, a smell, what is it? Definitely not brewing coffee, this is darker, subtler, heady.
As all the senses shift into focus, albeit through a soft haze, I hear the gentle padding of my loved ones' feet on the floor boards below.
Now different smells filter through - spicy, a little sweet, still soft.
And finally he, and IT! arrives - a pure and truly blissful brew - cocoa, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and the smallest hint of chilli (perhaps to warm one up or ignite some passion - the Mayan people must have had a good reason to include it after all).
The brew is soft, velvety in texture, heady, overwhelmingly seductive, sweetened with just the smallest pinch of sugar. As I sip, I am transported through the barriers of time and space as I explore every sensation, searching deep within its soul, and that of my lover - transformed from mere mortal to Mayan hero - I know the day this happens to me, surely I shall never leave my bed!
.... Sadly there is no recipe for the original, the ones available thru research are based on sketchy records (although the history is very in depth) and possibly some guesswork, ingredients not easily available and some very strange. I think however with a little playing around, this is something that maybe, just maybe, we should look at going back to an original rather than staying with the new age.
