I don't like egg, and I feel I made this clear in my previous blog about British Egg Week (see here). So, much to my relief, and being nearly half-way through this nightmare of a week, it's time to look ahead to the following seven days. And that means it is CHOCOLATE WEEK.
Chocolate is practically a staple of life these days, has been for a while. And it's been around for longer than most people imagine. Three to four thousand years ago, the Olmecs are the first known people to use cacao which grew wild in Central America - followed by other peoples like the Maya and then the Aztecs from the 10th century AD to the 1520s. At this time, and for many years afterwards, chocolate was purely a drink.
They all knew that a cup of 'XOCO - ATL' (meaning 'bitter water') was great for fatigue and it was supposed to stimulate brain power. Chocolate was always drunk, and not eaten until relatively recently in the middle of the last century. Beans were also used as money - making it even more valuable. 100 beans could buy a slave; 4 beans a rabbit, etc.
Nowadays, it is still drunk. But, more often, it is eaten in blocks whilst crying over arguments, or eaten in ice-cream form whilst watching a romantic-comedy. However it is taken in, the consensus seems to be that chocolate is great, and it isn't going away. So what better way to celebrate than giving it it's own week.
We now eat on average just under 7 oz per person per week. The confectionery industry is worth over £5 billion in UK alone of which chocolate is £3.5 billion. A very sizeable figure. And you can find out more facts like this, a complete history of chocolate, and some delicious recipes (including a Chocolate and Beetroot Cake) on the Chocolate Week website, found here.
And, if you want some ready made chocolate ice-cream which really is incredible and homemade, head to Edgworth and Holden's Ice Cream where there is bound to be something chocolate-y and cream-y and delicious, plus a great range of other flavours to choose from.
Chocolate desserts are loved by many, and it just so happens that there are several places in Bolton you can get them. After enjoying an incredible meal at any of the following places, check out their dessert menus to find something chocolate related:
The Olympus Fish & Chip Restaurant
Or, if you just want some chocolate, good ol' chocolate, head down to Bolton Markets where they have a huge range, meanign you can do what you like with it, be it cook with it, bake with it, or just eat it as it is.
So, do not despair, there are only five more days of Egg Week left to endure, before we can give in to chocalate's advances, and not have to feel the tiny bit guilty about it. Go ahead, enjoy.
