Beans, Beans, They’re Good for Your Heart

Beans, Beans, They’re Good for Your Heart

(Cacao beans, that is)

If the world ends, in 2012, along with the Mayan calendar, as some suggest, it won’t be because we just ran out of days. Rather, the “end” would more likely be the result of a failure of the world’s cacao crop, a crop whose origins also claim Mayan ancestry. No cacao would translate to no chocolate, and no chocolate would undoubtedly signal the rapid demise of everything we call civilization.

Historical Overview

The Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec cultures used the cacao bean, the Olmec’s as early as 1500 B.C., according to some estimates, to produce a paste that was water soluble, and, when mixed with other ingredients, like chilies, herbs, and corn, produced a bitter, aromatic beverage that was held in high, even sacred esteem.

Spaniards, while busy conquering Mexico in the 16th century, took time to “discover” the cacao (or “cocoa”, as we now call it) bean, and send some back home to Spain. There, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon replaced peppers in the mix, satisfying the much sweeter European tooth. Naturally, the wondrous concoction was deemed too good for the masses, and it was jealously held hostage by the wealthier classes,

The use of what came to be known as “chocolate” spread throughout the upper levels of European society, and was said to compare favorably with other “ambrosias” and nectars of the gods, such as wine. It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution, in the 18th century, that chocolate was milled in mass quantities, and made inexpensively enough to become available to the general public.

The chocolate bar we know today didn’t exist until the middle of the 19th century, and 1861 marked the inauguration of the heart-shaped Valentine’s box of chocolate (created by Richard Cadbury) that we so cherish today.

Chocolate for the Heart

Many claims have been made with regard to chocolate, some touting it as an aphrodisiac, and others extolling virtues of the heart-health promoting anti-oxidants found in the cocoa bean, but none of the scientific arguments for or against these claims will deny the emotional (and economic) value of chocolate. Rare is the grocery store that doesn’t contain an extensive selection of chocolate products: hot cocoa mixes, dark chocolate bars, milk chocolates, truffles, hard candies, pastilles, cookies, cakes, pies, sprinkles, fudge, milk (even soy milk), dipped apples and pears, and, of course, that universal symbol of love (and sometimes apology), the heart-shaped gift-box of chocolates.

Chocolate and Humor

Chocolate, the substance, now almost ubiquitous in our society, has fostered many side-lines to the original creation. T-shirts, coffee mugs, and shopping bags are but a few of the many offerings available today, many sporting humorous slogans and quips, some of which follow:

-Chocolate is cheaper than therapy, and you don’t need an appointment.

-man cannot live by chocolate alone, but a woman sure can.

- money talks, but chocolate sings.

-if you’ve got melted chocolate on your hands, you have to learn to eat it faster.

-if you put “eat chocolate” at the top of your daily to-do list, you can rest assured that you

will get at least one thing accomplished today.