Known as one of the most delicious and popular delicacies, chocolate is a food paste made with ground cocoa and sugar. It is a product currently used for sweet preparations that can range from simple desserts, to cookies, cakes, dumplings, ice cream, mousses, chocolates, Easter eggs, bakery products, puddings and much more.
Chocolate is a very noble element but its work requires neatness, knowledge and patience since it is at the same time delicate and must be treated properly to obtain the best results.
Millennial origin
Chocolate is not actually a raw material, but is a product obtained from the cocoa plant to which other elements are added such as fat, sugar, milk, dried fruits or different flavors according to the interest of whoever prepares it. . The cacao plant is native to America, where it was discovered by Europeans only in the 16th century. Many pre-Columbian cultures used cocoa in the form of a drink, although its taste and appearance had nothing to do with what we know today as chocolate, the latter being much more aggressive and unpleasant.
Elaboration
Chocolate is made from the fermentation, drying, roasting and kneading of cocoa beans. Once they are processed, a hard and dense cocoa mass is obtained, the purest form of chocolate in the entire production process. To obtain what we normally consume as chocolate, this product is separated into liquid form and cocoa butter, responsible for giving the product creaminess and smooth consistency. It is considered that the more cocoa butter the chocolate has, the smoother and more creamy it will be, but this means that there will be less traces of the pure cocoa, which is why softer chocolates are generally considered to be of lower quality. At the same time, more or less sugar can be added to the chocolate according to the purity that you are trying to obtain.
As said, working with chocolate is not an easy thing as it requires experience, tenacity and patience. Chocolate must be tempered to be able to be worked, which means that its temperatures must be altered to balance them and thus make it a more easily moldable product. Chocolate receives numerous criticisms, some positive and others not so much: while chocolate is often seen as a prohibited element in any diet due to its high value in fat and calories, it is also considered a very nutritious and effective food in the prevention of certain type of diseases as long as it is consumed in an appropriate and measured way, of course and like everything in life.
Consumption benefits
By case is that from now on we will delve into the benefits and advantages of its consumption. Now, we must clarify before rejoicing many people who will be happy that we tell them that they are going to consume chocolate because it is good for their health, that the beneficial properties are shown by that dark chocolate that has more than 70% cocoa in its composition .
The circulatory system is one of the most benefited with the consumption of chocolate, it reduces the possibility of heart disease, stroke, actions are also recognized when it comes to lowering blood pressure, bad cholesterol, antioxidant effects, and some They attribute an aphrodisiac effect to it, although this is certainly not proven, there is only a basis in the pleasure that its consumption causes to most of the people.
Another benefit that is given to you and that without sweating turns out to be very important for our days is its relaxing effect. It has been proven that consuming chocolate relaxes the mind and for that matter is that it can be an excellent option when routine and daily obligations put our nerves on edge.
A contribution of chocolate specifically for women is its great action at the behest of the pre-menstrual stage since dark chocolate helps reduce fluid retention that occurs at this time of the female cycle and also minimizes the anxiety that women feel in this moment.
But we must also say that this Up effect for mood is generalized and men can also enjoy it if they are going through a low mood, not only women when their period approaches.
And now we have to refer to its main disadvantage, which is the fact of being a product that concentrates fats and calories and then the fact of being consumed in large quantities, in an unbalanced diet and without the corresponding physical exercise that helps to lower the calories consumed from, will increase the risk of obesity.
