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Aztecs, cacao seed paste, Cake Pops, cayenne pepper, chilli brownies, chocolate and fruit, chocolate and nuts, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate-chilli, Christmas, cupcakes, Dark chocolate, food bloggers, hot chocolate, hot grenadine and chocolate, Marylou Andrew, Mayas, Mesoamerica, tarts, truffles, xocolatl
Chocolate, and the classic combinations of chocolate and nuts or chocolate and fruit, never go out of style or season, but every now and then it is worth trying a new twist on the classics. This Christmas season, how about indulging in the odd-sounding yet extremely trendy combo of dark chocolate and chilli?
Do a quick Google search and you will find chocolate and chilli brownies, cupcakes, cake pops, tarts and truffles. However, this fusion of sweet and spicy is not new at all. Although most accounts credit the Aztecs with its discovery, it was the Mayas who first mixed roasted cacao seed paste with water, chilli peppers and cornmeal to produce a hot foamy drink. When the Aztecs took over a sizable portion of Mesoamerica in 1400, they imported vast quantities of cacao beans and created their own bitter spicy drink called ‘xocolatl’ which was seasoned with vanilla and chilli pepper. Usually consumed cold, xocolatl was supposed to be an aphrodisiac. Continue reading