Chocolate as medicine! Ahhhh Azteca ....

(Chocolate bar: San Churros, at Bandra West)

With my daughter back from holidays, whether I will it or not, I am indulging ... So she decided she wanted to do a chocolate dinner! So, while she did a light meal of a brownie, my husband and I indulged (for company's sake -- that uniquely  Indian family problem -- overeating!!) Mine was Azteca, hot chocolate with chilli! I loved that flavor. Even the panna cota  u get at Yellow Tree Cafe has Jalapeno tang... that slightly hot flavor that sets up a marvellous, sharp contrast within a dessert. So Azteca was new to me.. instead of sweet, which I dislike, that piping undercurrent of heat...

Apparently the Mayans used this recipe for healing stomach disorders. It is a laxative, also. It treats stomach upsets. Otherwise chocolate also was used as a medicine: improved circulation (which may explain why it was also regarded as an aphrodisiac), improved complexion (it is the other stuff which must be causing those allergic reaction in some women -- the sugar, oil stuff that is added to texture pure chocolate); release of feel-good hormones, liver disorders, cool off fever (makes u cool-headed), urogenital disorders (must be something to do with those hormones we discussed), was used as a purgative when combined with other spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves are some I spotted in other recipes for Aztec hot chocolate). Vanilla is another important key ingredient.

The damned thing is, it was also used to plump up thin people!! Have to go for that long-neglected run at Jogger's park this evening... My weighing machine showed a half-kg increase, from that huge pot of hot, chilli-brewed Azteca:)