By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Fancy being locked within the walls of a chocolate factory, drowning in a rumbling river of cocoa liquor, gulping gallons and gallons of that heavenly draught. It would most probably kill one, but what a way to go! Most of us cannot get enough of that sublime confection brought to us from the New World only a few hundred years ago. The story of chocolate however, goes back to over 1000 BC with the Mayans of Central America and the Aztecs of Mexico. Upon returning from his last voyage to the Caribbean in 1502, Christopher Columbus lay many wondrous gifts before the King and Queen of Spain, among them a handful of strange looking almond shaped brown and purple beans. Queen Isabella unimpressed, turned away from the beans to marvel at other things, unaware of their magical attributes that would delight the world for all eternity. It took the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortéz to discover the potential of these lowly beans. When Cortéz arrived in Mexico in 1519, he observed the richness of the leaves of the eight-metre high majestic evergreens that bore the tiniest, prettiest of flowers and the largest of fruit that grew all year long. The melon shaped fruit or pod carried within it brown and purple seeds that the Mexicans cherished. Cortéz saw the carved images of the pods on the walls of the temples, He read the writings that referred to them as the "food of the gods". When fermented and dried, these seeds became the cacao beans, which they crushed to make a drink they called "Xocaotl" (Nahwuatl dialect meaning "bitter juice") which became chocolatl. The cunning Cortéz observed the great storehouses that the Aztec Emperor Montezuma II filled with the beans, and watched how he consumed 50 portions daily of this bitter beverage from shiny golden goblets. The Emperor himself offered the drink to Cortéz. He must have said "sip this my friend, it is the glory, the stimulant, the divine gift of our gods". The drink was too bitter, but Cortéz decided it was worth exploring. He ordered the cultivation of additional plantings before he returned to Spain. By adding sugar cane to cut the bitterness, the Spanish aristocracy found it pleasing, especially when served hot. For decades, the Spaniards managed to keep it a secret but by 1606 Cocoa became the king of beverages in all of Europe. In 1657 the first of numerous English chocolate houses appeared. After many a year of planting and picking, mixing and tasting, the heavenly elixir reached a peak of perfection. By 1730 innovations and mechanization of cocoa grinding reduced the cost of production and made it within everyone's financial reach. It was left to the English to introduce the solid chocolate bar in the 19th century. The Swiss later mixed the concoction with milk to create milk chocolate, a blend which became everyone's favourite to this day. During the 19th century, increasing cocoa demands led to cocoa tree plantations in much of the tropics. European nations established their own plantations throughout their colonies in the Caribbean, South America, Curacao, Jamaica, Brazil, Grenada and Guyana. Cocoa plantations also spread in West Africa -- the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Brazil, once the largest producer throughout the 19th century has now been overtaken by West Africa in global output. Asia has recently entered the chocolate market in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Fiji, Sanaa, and Java. Because of a mistake in spelling made by the British importers the bean became known as cocoa instead of cacao. That is reserved only to English speaking countries. All others retain the right name of the c-a-c-a-o tree. World consumption of cocoa is estimated at 2.8 million tons per year. The largest share goes to Europe which imports 1.2 million tons of cocoa and the US close to half a million tons. Who eats more chocolate amongst us? On the average the Swiss do, to the tune of 11kg per capita, per year, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Italy and France follow. The Brits consume half a million tons of chocolate per year. When is the best time to give or receive chocolate? Surprisingly, the New Year leads followed by Easter and Valentine's. According to recent statistics men like to receive chocolate, more than women do. During the last decade Asia developed a sweet tooth for chocolate, and demand in China has increased 90 per cent since 2003. Although milk chocolate is the clear favourite, an appreciation of dark chocolate is on the rise. Certain misconceptions about chocolate need to be corrected. There is no such thing as "chocolate addiction". Addictions are serious conditions with significant physical and psychological consequences. We crave chocolate; we crave its sensory properties, texture, flavour and aroma. High in caffeine? An average serving contains less caffeine than one cup of decaffeinated coffee. Allergies? Cocoa allergies have never been proven. Allergies are probably caused by other ingredients added to chocolate such as corn syrup, lecithin, gluten, or nuts. Fattening? An average bar of chocolate contains one tablespoon of fat and cannot increase cholesterol levels, cause tooth decay, migraines, diabetes, or obesity. The key is in moderation, as it is in all things. Genetics and lifestyles are the major causes of all our ailments. Is it any wonder that every now and then filmmakers resort to chocolate for inspiration. We are all familiar with Forest Gump 's philosophic take on "life is like a box of chocolates". Mexican director Alfonso Arau meticulously depicted how chocolate plays a major role in the life and cuisine of Mexico in Like Water for Chocolate (1992). Juliette Binoche charmed a whole town with the secret ingredient of love and kindness included in her Chocolat (2000). Children and adults thrilled to the delightful screen adaptation of British author Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1971) with the crazy, but loveable Gene Wilder better known as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The chocolate factory itself is a fantasy world filled with wild inventions, strange machines, crazy colour schemes, secret rooms and passages, and busy little yellow dwarfs called Oompa Loompas, and tons and tons of delectable brown morsels. Eccentric Brit director Tim Burton ( Batman, Mars Attacks, and Sleepy Hollow ), forever fascinated by all that is dark, wild, and mysterious found a perfect subject by taking a second look at the chocolate factory. For his Willy Wonks he picked one of his favourite actors, Johnny Depp, who had already teamed up with him in Edward Scissorhand, 1990, and Ed Wood, 1994. The combination is as creepy and quirky as you would ever wish it to be. Their new version is due for release this summer. Is chocolate an aphrodisiac? Were he around today Emperor Montezuma could tell us more about the reasons for his consumption of 50 cups daily and his harem of 600 women. Chocolate does contain mild central system stimulants as well as pheromones, which the body produces naturally when one is in love. Pheromones are used in perfumes, like musk and other animal scents. The melting point of cocoa butter is just below body temperature, so erase the guilt and melt one or two of those precious morsels and enjoy the sensuous innocent pleasure sent by the gods to make the life of mortals more tolerable. What else can compare to a glistening, tempting, chocolate cake stuffed with layers and layers of sinful delights, or a zesty bowl of sticky, gooey full-flavoured chocolate ice cream swimming in a hot sea of luscious fudge, or an airy ambrosial mousse that melts and disappears before you find the time to close your mouth, or a simple chocolate bar all carefully wrapped in gloss and foil you cannot wait to rip through to get to relish the exquisite nectar below. It is enough to drive one to the ends of the earth in search of that unique satisfaction only chocolate can give. Chocolate is indeed a pleasure to die for; better still a pleasure to live for. One is reminded of French auther Alfonse Daudet's (1840--1897) comment on biting on a chocolate bar: "It is enough to make a dumb man, eloquent!"
