How to Evaluate Mexican Chocolate

Most people think of Switzerland or other parts of Europe when they think of chocolate, but the ancient cultures of Mexico first cultivated chocolate. From the Olmecs to the Mayans to the Aztecs, chocolate was considered the "food of the gods" and was reserved for nobles only. The Spanish Conquistadors brought chocolate back to Europe. Don't expect Mexican chocolate to taste like European chocolate, though, because it's unique among chocolates.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Shop around to find different brands of Mexican chocolate. Almost all Mexican chocolate comes from the states of Oaxaca or Jalisca, but there are many different brands. Compare brands like Ibarra, Moctezuma, Don Gustavo and Abuelita. Abuelita is made by Nestle, and most Mexicans prefer other brands. La Soleded brand, a Oaxacan chocolate, makes chocolate tablets in several different flavors, including cinnamon, bitter, almond, vanilla and mocha.

2. Buy Mexican chocolate both as disks or round tablets, the earliest way it was stored, and as a powdered drink mix. Both types have different uses.

3. Taste Ibarra, a chocolate from Jalisco, one of the most popular and highly-praised chocolates. Try it in its tablet form. Note the texture, and feel with your tongue that it's grainier than the chocolate you normally eat. It's also less sweet, although sugar is added in the raw cane form.

4. Try to taste the cinnamon in the chocolate. You may also taste a nutty flavor because Mexican chocolate makers often add peanuts or almonds. They don't add fat or milk to chocolate.

5. Make Mexican hot chocolate the traditional way. Break up three tablets of your favorite brand, and mix them with boiling water, chili powder, sugar and frothy milk. You can find several recipes at the What's Cooking America? website.

6. Decide which chocolate you like best. The Mexican standards include the intensity of the chocolate flavor, the hints of other flavors and the texture.

Tips & Warnings

• Chocolate is made from cacao beans, and they were used in the Aztec empire as money.
• You can find a variety of brands of chocolate at the Mex Grocer website, if you can't find any in your hometown. You can also buy it from Amazon.
• Because Mexican chocolate contains less sugar and fat than most American chocolates, it's ideal for dieters. It also contains more antioxidants.
• In Mexico, chocolate is usually used in hot drinks or mole sauce, or eaten as is. It's occasionally used in baking in larger cities, but that's still not common among the Mexican people.

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