热巧克力

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Hot chocolate with marshmallow

For the musical band, see Hot Chocolate.

热巧克力, 熱可可或drinking chocolate是一種飲料，通常是熱飲,典型的熱巧克力由奶,巧克力或可可粉,和糖組成.熱巧克力從新大陸引進歐洲後極受歡迎。

[编辑] 歷史

最早使用可可的人相信是奧爾梅克人，中美洲的一族原住民，也是美洲最古老的文明(公元前1500-400年)。稍後，馬雅文明有了可可為主的飲料,它們是由馬雅在Chontalpa地區,相對是今天的塔巴斯哥和墨西哥,的大農場所種植的豆子製成的。他們發明了一種飲料，這種飲料在納瓦特爾語稱為 "xocolatl"(其中 xococ 解作苦，而 atl 解作水)，這個字之中的 "x" 是古代西班牙語的音位,有着現代英語的"sh"發音(譯者註,xocolatl應為chocolate的字源,而且它們發音近似)。這飲料由經烘烤的可可豆，水，和少量香料製成。可可豆還被用作貨幣。

歐洲人發現了美洲之後，哥倫布由新大陸帶回可可豆,但歐洲人比較喜歡其他被帶回的物品,更加實際的交易商品.不過,在1517年，荷南·科爾蒂斯在墨西哥海岸接新Veracruz的沿海地區登陸。他要去特諾契提朗城看看有名的蒙特蘇馬國王的富裕和阿茲特克帝國.

蒙特蘇馬二世向科爾蒂斯介紹他最愛的飲料，「chocolatl」，並且以金色的高腳杯奉仩這種飲料。「Chocolatl 是有巧克力味道加上香草和香料的飲料，and so prepared as to be reduced to a froth of the consistency of honey, which gradually dissolved in the mouth and was taken cold."^[1]」 Moctezuma consumed his "chocolatl" in goblets before entering his harem, leading to the belief that it was an aphrodisiac.

科爾蒂斯在1528年帶著載有可可豆和巧克力飲料製造機器的蓋倫帆船回到西班牙。 The court of King Charles V soon adopted it, and "chocolate" became a fashionable drink popular with the Spanish upper class. Additionally, cocoa was given as a dowry when members of the Spanish Royal Family married other European aristocrats. It took nearly a century for chocolate to achieve popularity throughout Europe, as the Spanish kept the delicacy secret.

[编辑] Development

Image:White hot chocolate.JPG

White hot chocolate.

Drinking chocolate was originally a cold mixture of ground cocoa beans and water with the addition of spices such as cayenne pepper, vanilla and pimento. Later spices such as cloves and cinnamon were used. The ancients drank it from large bowls so they could take in all of its aromas. By the time it was introduced to Europe, the more pungent spices in the drink were replaced with cane sugar and it was served hot instead of cold.

After being introduced in England, milk was added to the after dinner treat. By the 18th Century, so-called "Chocolate Houses" were as popular as coffee houses. The first "Chocolate House" opened in London in 1657. Because it was so expensive, hot chocolate was considered a drink for the elite.

"Hot chocolate" is a retronym and the drink was originally simply called "chocolate". The subsequent popularity of the "chocolate bar" forced the invention of the term "hot chocolate" to distinguish it from "chocolate" which now means "bar chocolate".

By 1828, the first cocoa powder producing machine had been developed in The Netherlands, which generated a less acidic, more processed cocoa, now known as dutch-process cocoa. The new form of cocoa was easier to blend with warm milk or water.

Americans often use the terms "hot chocolate" and "hot cocoa" interchangeably, while others make a difference between "hot cocoa", made from a powdered mix of cocoa, sugar, thickeners and "hot chocolate" made directly from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter. Hot chocolate can be made with dark, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces and stirred into milk with the addition of sugar. American hot cocoa powder often includes powdered milk or other dairy ingredients so it can make a drink without using milk. A modern American concept is the addition of marshmallows to hot chocolate. Some packaged hot cocoa mixes come with small dry marshmallows.

[编辑] 現今社會的地位

在這杯美祿裡的泡沫裡還有些沒溶解的巧克力粉末。

Today hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world. It is especially popular in Europe, where it is very thick, made directly from chocolate (such as Italy's cioccolata densa, ubiquitous in their bars and restaurants). With the influence of restaurant pastry chefs and chocolatiers, this style is creeping into American culture, where hot chocolate is traditionally a winter drink, associated in folk images with snowstorms and sledding. Usually made instant with hot water or milk from a packet containing mostly cocoa powder, sugar, and dry milk, it is much thinner and usually topped with marshmallows. It is not usually drunk in summer as are the other hot beverages, coffee and tea.

在西班牙，熱巧克力和churros是工人的傳統早餐。這種西班牙式的熱巧克力很濃，有熱巧克力布丁的黏稠度。Today, in cities like Madrid, Spaniards mark the traditional end to a night out by dipping churros into this very thick hot chocolate.