Write a summery of this passage. and give a suitable title.
Chocolate. There are few foods that people feel as passionate about – a passion that goes
beyond a love for the “sweetness” of most candies or desserts: after all, few people crave
caramel, whipped cream, or bubble gum. Chocolate is, well, different. For the true chocoholic,
just thinking about chocolate can evoke a pleasurable response.
Two years ago, my wife and I travelled to the Amazon. On one of our expeditions, our guide
pointed out a cacao tree growing wild in the jungle. I had never seen one before.
Looking strangely alien, dozens of yellow-green pods hung from the trunk and stems of the
tree. Our guide picked one of the hand-sized fruits, stripped off the rippled outer layer with his
knife, and handed us chunks of the fibrous white pulp inside – the fruit of the cacao tree. Two
local children who had followed us into the forest waited impatiently for their own turn. With
practiced hands, a girl of about six borrowed the guide’s knife, hacked off the covering from
another pod, and shared a big chunk of pulp with her brother.
Few people get to sample the fruit of the cacao tree. It was mild tasting, with a subtle,
bittersweet chocolate flavour. Embedded in the pulp were dark, purple-colored seeds that,
after being dried and processed, chocolate lovers like myself have come to recognize as
“chocolate beans.”
The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) is a native of Central and South America. Today, it is
cultivated around the equator, and can be found in the Caribbean, Africa, South-East Asia, and
even in the South Pacific Islands of Samoa and New Guinea.
By the beginning of the sixteenth century, the Aztecs had an advanced and powerful civilization
located in what is now central Mexico. Many people believe that the Aztecs first developed
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chocolate. However, chocolate goes back much farther. The ancient Maya, who inhabited what
is now parts of southern Mexico and Central America, certainly consumed chocolate. In fact,
the word “cacao” is Mayan: as early as 500 A.D., the Mayans were writing about cacao on their
pottery. Some think chocolate may be even older, dating back to the Olmec civilization that
preceded the Maya.
The chocolate of these Mesoamerican civilizations was consumed as a bitter-tasting drink made
of ground cacao beans mixed with a variety of local ingredients, a drink that was said to build
up resistance and fight fatigue.
Answers
History of Chocolate
The cocoa beans from which chocolate is made are not, themselves, sweet. The Mayans and Aztecs in Central America and Mexico consumed chocolate as a bitter, frothy drink mixed with chilies. Among the more than 300 chemicals contained in chocolate are a number of ingredients that help explain why we crave it.
Chocolate triggers the release of endorphins and serotonin, which make us feel good, Rodriguez said. And while no proof exists that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, it does contain the chemical phenylethylamine, a mild mood elevator that our brain produces when we feel happy or in love.
Chocolate contains stimulants as well, including small amounts of caffeine and theobromine, said Christine Palumbo of Naperville, a registered dietitian in private practice, adjunct faculty member at Benedictine University in Lisle, and nutrition columnist and speaker. Stimulants make us feel alert and contented.
Not all chocolate cravings are equal, added Palumbo, whose husband is the chocoholic in their family. Some studies have indicated that people with strong chocolate cravings have different bacteria in their digestive tract than other people, she said. People seeking relief from stress may also eat chocolate.
"Some people eating chocolate may use it as an antidepressant," she said.
Most people like chocolate to some degree, but our taste for it varies, as with any food, she said.
"It's like some kids like broccoli and some don't," said Palumbo, who writes a column for Chicago Parent magazine. "It's not just taste that's important. For some people, texture is important."
Chocolate's creamy texture contributes to its sensual quality, aficionados say.
"Talk about sexy food. It melts in your mouth," said Cathy Bouchard, owner of Le Chocolat du Bouchard in Naperville.