Holes,
My memory is full of holes:
Intermittent and fleeting,
Its imprints wanting and lonely.
From time to time, I remember sporadic details, fragmented events, pieces, always pieces: the puzzle is incomplete. It is a challenging task to piece the memories together and retrieve a reliable narrative. For example, I remember a fashion taboo which dictated “thou shalt not wear” one patterned clothing article with another, likewise, absolutely do not wear a dress or skirt with leggings or pants:
The never never land of fashion fiasco.
It was 1976 when I visited Israel for my very first time. My journey began about the time that Air France flight #139 from Paris to Tel Aviv was hijacked. As our airplane touched down in Zurich (enroute stopover), we were whisked away into an isolated warehouse where every last inch of our luggage was picked apart and put back together again. I can recall, but a few days later, after the Israeli Air Force rescued the hostages, walking the streets of Tel Aviv amidst all of the celebrations and t-shirts’ everywhere proclaiming:
“Kol Hakavod L’Tzahal” or “Well Done IDF”.
This was, without a doubt, a memory that left its mark deep in me.
At that time the trip from Lod (now Ben Gurion Airport) to the northern border was long and tiresome. When we finally reached our designated kibbutz, in the midst of the dark and unfamiliar place, there awaited an even more unfamiliar snack. That was the first time that I was acquainted with one of the Israeli national snacks: chocolate spread sandwiches!
Truthfully?
The idea filled me with disgust: a chocolate sandwich?
Reflecting now, I believe that my husband had a quite similar reaction when he was introduced to two of my favorite sandwiches at the time: peanut butter and jam and bagel, lox and cream cheese: in a word,
“Yuck!”
After a while, during my second and longer visit to Israel, I developed an affinity for this strange snack, especially on long hikes, trips to the Sinai Desert and late night milking’s in the dairy. Despite all this, the snack remains in my mind to be sugar laden and any resemblance to chocolate is purely coincidental.
Chocolate, theobroma cacao, food of the Gods, has been known to man for some 2000-4000 years. The Mayans and the Aztecs believed that chocolate was a superfood endowed by the Gods and blessed with magical and divine properties. A dark and bitter chocolate drink was used in religious ceremonies as well as for medicinal purposes. So valued was the cocoa bean that at times it was used as a form of currency.
It is said that chocolate made its way to The Continent during the sixteenth century AD with the conquest of the Aztec empire by Hernán Cortés and his Spanish compatriots. Cortés’s first reaction of the dark and bitter drink was memorable to say the least:
“A drink fit for pigs!”
Once the chocolate drink was sweetened it became very popular amongst the conquering Europeans. The heavenly chocolate was a treat for the privileged for many years to come. It was out of reach to the common people for hundreds of years.
Today chocolate is beloved by all. Statistics from 2012 reveal that the chocolate eating record is held by the Swiss. In 2012 on average each Swiss person ate a whopping 11.9 kilograms of chocolate or about 240, 40 gram, bars of chocolate. By comparison, the average American at that time ate “only” 5.5 kilograms annually.
Chocolate is delicious:
Who will say otherwise?
But is chocolate healthy?
Let’s discover the magical properties of chocolate:
♦ Powerful antioxidants 21x more potent than blueberries
♦ Improves cardiovascular health
♦ Lowers blood pressure
♦ Strong antidepressant
♦ Improves mood
Chocolate and Valentine’s Day, what is all the fuss about?
There are many compelling reasons from the magnesium that increases our joy, to the phenethylamine which sparks love, to the anandamide a source of pleasure, along to the tryptophan which releases serotonin which boosts our mood.
Usually the processing of cocoa includes fermentation in the fields, roasting beans at temperatures ranging from 100-150 degrees Celsius and an addition of chemicals to enhance their flavor.
Roasting the beans enhances their flavor and color, sterilizes as well as eases the process of husking the shells. Potassium carbonate also aids in enhancing the taste and color of the beans.
Both the heat and the chemicals partially destroy and damage some of chocolate’s superfood godlike properties.
Raw cacao beans, cacao nibs (broken beans) and cacao powder can be purchased. The raw cacao products have been fermented and dried but not roasted in high temperatures nor chemically treated. These products can be found at any health food store.
Chocolate spread sandwiches, I can’t say that I am fond of them. I try to avoid gluten as much as possible. Chocolate spread?, why not simply spread some sugar on a piece of bread?!
May I challenge you to a simple culinary mission?
Every time that you realize that you are attracted to an unhealthy food, merely make an effort improve the quality of your choice. Choose to upgrade. We Israelis are very proficient at finding the best of the best.
I am not asking you to stop spreading chocolate on your bread.
Start by simply leaving the white bread at the store. Replace it with a whole grain bread, perhaps one which comes from a boutique bakery. For the crème de la crème, may I present you with a recipe for a simple and quick chocolate spread? What about the taste you ask: why heavenly, of course! Forget about preparing sandwiches for your children. For this Valentine’s Day prepare a gourmet and unforgettable spread!
The Spread
The Ingredients:
2 T Coconut oil
4 T Raw cacao powder
4 T Pure maple syrup
1 t Pure vanilla extract
Pinch of Himalayan salt (pink for Valentine’s Day…)
Another part of your mission, important none the less, is to visit your neighborhood health food store and get to know these foreign products…
In cooler temperatures the coconut oil will be solid. Start by placing the jar in a bowl of boiling water. In just a few moments you will have enough liquid to use.
Add all of the ingredients, with the exception of the cacao powder, and whip by hand. Once the mixture is thoroughly blended, fold the cacao powder in three equal portions while whipping in between until a smooth cream like texture is obtained.
