Chocolate has been a part of our New World culture for thousands of years. This fun presentation includes: 1. Some high points of the ancient history of chocolate and its production from the Mayan, Olmec and Aztec cultures up to the present. 2. Aspects of the growing of the cocoa pod, the harvesting. processing, fermenting, drying, conching, tempering, blending and finishing of the cacao bean. 3. Some chemistry, biochemistry and biology of chocolate and some of its active ingredients, including theobroma cacao (literally from the Greek: Food of the Gods). 4. Some health aspects (flavonoids, polyphenols and other antioxidants) showing that this exotic processed food is good for you. For those attendees who stay to the "bitter" end, there will be samples of chocolate and a free drawing for a ten-pound bar of Guittard dark "bittersweet" chocolate.

Chocolate:  Food of the Gods - 2016 Helen Free Award Lecture

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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