I am terrific at going on vacation. Really. It's a skill that has taken years to master.
But returning from vacation? Well, that I am not so good at.
So before the post-holiday blues take hold with too menacing a grip, I'll reminisce about my recent 2-week-long sojourn to the Mayan Riviera. The weather was glorious, the pace was restful and restorative and the reprieve from snow for two blissful weeks was absolutely appreciated.
As we explored the Yucatan Peninsula, there were healthy doses of reading on the beach, shopping for things we didn't need, visiting Mayan ruins, discovering quaint little towns, snorkeling in the sea and swimming with the dolphins.
We've visited Mexico many times before and seen several different regions because we have family that live there. Through our travels over the years, I've always been on the quest for great Mexican chocolate. After all, the Mayans and Aztecs claim to have been the first chocolatiers. The birth place of chocolate must have the best.
But, I've not yet been blown away.
Other than Mexican hot chocolate, of course. The wonderful combination of the bitter dark chocolate with the biting spices leaves that warm feeling in my chest just thinking about it. It's a drink to sip, to savour and it's not for everyone. But I am a fan.
So I couldn't have been more thrilled than to stumble on a brilliant little chocolate cafe in Playa Del Carmen
It had the most delicious Mexican hot chocolate and quickly became my daily haunt.
On our many trips there we tasted their ice cream and brownies and chocolate bars and chocolate nibs and drinking chocolate and, my personal favourite, the chocolate frio …
I say this (and completely unsolicited and unbiased), Ah Cacao was indeed my happy place. Everything they made was incredible. And the wait staff and atmosphere was as charming as the chocolate was tasty.
The funniest thing was the prominence of this enormous poster in several locations of the cafe with the headline "Chocolate Makes Happier Babies" quoting the British studies that say eating chocolate during pregnancy produces happier infants. Now, why didn't someone tell me that when I was expecting on my uber-organic, all-healthy pregzilla mission?
Their website says it all though: "According to Aztec legend, chocolate was a gift from Quetzalcoatl, the God, and formed a bridge between heaven and earth. One taste of Ah Cacao Real Chocolate and you will understand why!"
And as I pack away my flip flops and return to reality, I can say that my quest to find great Mexican chocolate was finally realized.
Glad you had a great trip!
Mexican chocolate is divine! Thought I would share- organic chocolate bon bons from Viva Terra are on sale for $5, originally $16! http://www.girlzdealz.com has them!
that pic of you in that hat? freaking adorable. i love the yucatan.
I can’t wait to go to Mexico. My parents spent a lot of time there, as did my grandmother; I grew up hearing stories about Mexico.
After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted, and the shell is removed to produce cacao nibs. The nibs are then ground to cocoa mass, pure chocolate in rough form. Because this cocoa mass usually is liquefied then molded with or without other ingredients, it is called chocolate liquor. The liquor also may be processed into two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Unsweetened baking chocolate (bitter chocolate) contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining cocoa solids, cocoa butter or other fat, and sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids (and thus does not qualify to be considered true chocolate).
Pingback: J’aime le chocolat de la France |