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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 16 APRIL 2017 35 THE chocolate egg is a symbol of Easter with many chocolate eggs being exchanged today. Though the chocolate egg did not become popu- lar until the late 19th century, today chocolate eggs seem to fall from the sky at this time of year. Easter egg hunts and gifts from family, today is the day when diets are put aside and indulgence reigns supreme. Chocolate making today bears very little resemblance to the original xo- colatl that the Spanish colonialists discovered from the Aztecs. Christopher Columbus discovered the cocoa bean in the New World where local tribes had built a culture of worship around the holy bean, though it wasn't until Cortez discov- ered the monetary and nutritional value of chocolate, 17 years later that chocolate came to Europe. The Aztecs brewed their own party drink that they called xocolatl – a bitter-tasting drink made from roasted ground cocoa beans with peppery spices and hot peppers. Though not to the taste of Span- ish conquerors, they were intrigued by the monetary value of the cocoa bean, which was used as payment for slaves and was thus known as the "gold of the New World." The Spanish monks then en- hanced the drink with sugar and va- nilla with some describing the drink as delicious and nutritional and the clergy banning the drink as it was lust arousing. The myths that chocolate caused pleasure were around even then and have lived on to this day. The effects of chocolate have been studied extensively and it has been concluded that the brain treats choc- olate as a drug with pharmacological actions occurring in the brain. Chocolate contains cannabinoids, the compounds responsible for the high of marijuana, though the con- centration is too low to cause an ef- fect. The compounds which do have an effect are caffeine, tyramine and tryptophan, which convert into feel- good chemicals dopamine and sero- tonin. Today a number of different types of chocolate are available. Cocoa powder: This unsweetened powder is pulverized, partially defat- ted chocolate liquor. Cocoa powder gives an intense chocolate taste and is available in "Dutch-processed" (al- kalized) or natural varieties. Unsweetened chocolate: Also known as "bitter" or "baking" choco- late. This is pure chocolate liquor, composed solely of ground cocoa beans. Although it looks and smells like chocolate, it has a bitter taste and is not meant for consumption on its own — it is best used in cook- ing, when it can be combined with sugar to make it more palatable. Dark chocolate: Chocolate that contains chocolate liquor, sugar, co- coa butter, vanilla and leicithin (an emulsifier). There are no milk solids added in dark chocolate. The cocoa content of commercial dark choco- late bars can range from 30% (sweet dark) to 70- 80% for extremely dark bars. Bittersweet chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate also fall into the "dark chocolate" category. Bittersweet chocolate: Chocolate contains at least 35% cocoa solids. Most bittersweet bars contain at least 50% chocolate liquor, with some bars pushing 70-80% choco- late liquor. This chocolate often has a deeper, more bitter flavour than sweet dark or semi-sweet bars. Semi-sweet chocolate: This is pri- marily an American term, popu- larized by Nestle Toll House semi- sweet chocolate chips. Semi-sweet chocolate contains at least 35% co- coa solids, and is generally assumed to be darker than sweet dark choco- late, but sweeter than bittersweet. However, the lack of regulations regarding sugar content means that these classifications are relative and not consistent across brands. Sweet dark chocolate: is "dark chocolate" in the sense that it does not contain milk solids, but it still has a high percentage of sugar and is much sweeter than other types of dark chocolate. Many brands of sweet dark chocolate have only 20- 40% cocoa solids. Milk chocolate: In addition to con- taining cocoa butter and chocolate liquor, milk chocolate contains ei- ther condensed milk or dry milk solids. Milk chocolate must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor, 3.39% butterfat, and 12% milk solids. Milk chocolates are typically much sweet- er than dark chocolate, and have a lighter colour and a less pronounced chocolate taste. Milk chocolate is more difficult to temper properly and more prone to overheating. White chocolate: White chocolate gets its name from the cocoa but- ter it contains, but does not contain chocolate liquor or any other cocoa products. As a result, it has no pro- nounced chocolate taste, but com- monly tastes like vanilla or other added flavourings. By law, white chocolate must contain a minimum 20% cocoa butter, 14% milk solids, and a maximum of 55% sugar. Fine food of the week Food Ingredients • 250g milk chocolate • 80g white chocolate • 3 Crème Eggs, unwrapped and halved • 2 Caramel Eggs, unwrapped and halved • 1 Flake • Handful Smarties Method 1. Melt the chocolate in a stain- less steel bowl over a small saucepan of simmering wa- ter, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir well un- til everything is melted and the chocolate is smooth and shiny. 2. Pour the melted chocolate onto a piece of baking paper on a large, clean, chopping board. 3. Melt the white chocolate in a clean bowl in the same way as you did the milk chocolate. 4. Pour in blobs over the milk chocolate and, with a tooth- pick, swirl the white choco- late into the milk chocolate. 5. Push the halved eggs into the melted chocolate, some open-side up and some open- side down. 6. Break up the flake over the melted chocolate, allowing bits to fall over the melted chocolate. Place the bits of flake on the melted chocolate and push down. 7. Add the Smarties. 8. Allow the chocolate to hard- en in the fridge for a couple of hours. 9. Remove from the fridge and break into bits of bark. FOR MORE GROWN UP FLAVOURS Use darker chocolate and top with ingredients like dried raspberries or any other dried fruit, nuts, co- conut flakes, sea salt, coffee beans or even bacon bits. Recipe of the week Easter Milk Chocolate Bark Chocolate eggs to celebrate Easter Chocolate releases chemicals in the brain that create a feel good factor