Chocolate Elixirs
The ancient Olmec Indian word for chocolate is kakawa, from which we get cacao, the word for the plant that produces chocolate. On a windy April afternoon, good for staying inside, Jim and I went to Kakawa Chocolate House near the center for a little bit of heaven in a tiny blue cup.
They serve chocolate elixirs -- a mini mug of thick, rich chocolate liquid essence, warmed up and spiced up with different flavors. It's just a few sips worth, but a full and lasting experience.
I had a chile elixir, the drink the conquistadors were first served when they met the civilizations of Mesoamerica. The balance of intense chocolate with a tingle of zing in the back of the throat was exquisite. The physical jolt to the body is powerful.
Jim had a more complex spiced elixir, called Aztec Warrior, which was flavored with herbs and flowers and chiles and vanilla and nuts. Also exquisite. And very manly, definitely warrior-like.
Kakawa serves elixir recipes that the ancient Aztecs and Mayans drank. They also serve favorite recipes that Europeans developed when chocolate arrived in French and Dutch kitchens. And Thomas Jefferson has handed down his favorite for history, which is chocolate spiced with nutmeg.
You can get Zapoteca too, which is simply unsweetened, unspiced, bittersweet chocolate, nothing added. Pure essence. The owner gave us tiny dixie cup samples to try of that and of all the spiced recipes, and it was hard to choose a favorite.
It's a fun place. The owner is enthusiastic, and is apparently a chocolate historian who has researched the ancient uses and culture of chocolate in the New World and the recipes that spread to the old. And then he makes up his own flavor combinations and tries new ones all the time.
They make their own homemade ice cream too, and they sell chocolate candies and truffles, so there is no end of reasons for us to go back again. And again.
They serve chocolate elixirs -- a mini mug of thick, rich chocolate liquid essence, warmed up and spiced up with different flavors. It's just a few sips worth, but a full and lasting experience.
I had a chile elixir, the drink the conquistadors were first served when they met the civilizations of Mesoamerica. The balance of intense chocolate with a tingle of zing in the back of the throat was exquisite. The physical jolt to the body is powerful.
Jim had a more complex spiced elixir, called Aztec Warrior, which was flavored with herbs and flowers and chiles and vanilla and nuts. Also exquisite. And very manly, definitely warrior-like.
Kakawa serves elixir recipes that the ancient Aztecs and Mayans drank. They also serve favorite recipes that Europeans developed when chocolate arrived in French and Dutch kitchens. And Thomas Jefferson has handed down his favorite for history, which is chocolate spiced with nutmeg.
You can get Zapoteca too, which is simply unsweetened, unspiced, bittersweet chocolate, nothing added. Pure essence. The owner gave us tiny dixie cup samples to try of that and of all the spiced recipes, and it was hard to choose a favorite.
It's a fun place. The owner is enthusiastic, and is apparently a chocolate historian who has researched the ancient uses and culture of chocolate in the New World and the recipes that spread to the old. And then he makes up his own flavor combinations and tries new ones all the time.
They make their own homemade ice cream too, and they sell chocolate candies and truffles, so there is no end of reasons for us to go back again. And again.
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