Cacao Quotes

What colour are your eyes? Olly (O): blue Madeline (M): Be more specific please O: jesus. girls. ocean blue M: Atlantic or Pacific O: atlantic. What colour are yours? M: Chocolate brown. O: More specific please M: 75% cacao butter, dark chocolate brown O: hehe. nice

Just the other day, I was in my neighborhood Starbucks, waiting for the post office to open. I was enjoying a chocolatey cafe mocha when it occurred to me that to drink a mocha is to gulp down the entire history of the New World. From the Spanish exportation of Aztec cacao, and the Dutch invention of the chemical process for making cocoa, on down to the capitalist empire of Hershey, PA, and the lifestyle marketing of Seattle's Starbucks, the modern mocha is a bittersweet concoction of imperialism, genocide, invention, and consumerism served with whipped cream on top.

Cacao has great nutritional value, a lot of protein, which strengthens a person, and without sugar it is not fattening.

Theo nodded slowly. "You love Balanchine chocolate like I love cacao." "I wouldn't say love, Theo." "No, you speak the truth. Love isn't right. It isn't right for me either. Sometimes I hate cacao." Theo looked at me. "You don't love Balanchine chocolate. You are Balanchine chocolate.

The road to hell was surely paved with cacao.

My brief survey of stimulant aphrodisiacs would be incomplete were I to fail to include that most famous love drug of all time, chocolate or cacao, from the seeds of Theobroma cacao.

The Maya’s economy was based on extensive occupational specialization, with skilled potters, weavers, woodworkers, and tool and ornament makers. They also traded obsidian, jaguar pelts, marine shells, cacao, salt, and feathers among themselves and other polities over long distances in Mexico. They probably had money, too, and like the Aztecs, used cacao beans for currency. The

At Rainbow Cake, January's special flavors would be dark chocolate and coffee, those pick-me-ups we all needed to start the day- or a new year. To me, their toasty-toasty flavors said that even if you only had a mere handful of beans and your life went up in flames, you could still create something wonderful. A little trial by fire could do you good. After all, if it worked so well with raw cacao and coffee beans, it could work for others, including me.

Desnuda eras una rama de canela en café panameño, tenías Coca-Cola, otoño y cacao en el pelo; desnuda eras ídolo, diosa y oasis como el verano en una catedral de dulce de leche.

Interrupting my thoughts, Mrs. V asks, “What continent produces the largest crop of cacao beans, which give us this chocolate?

The more history I learn, the more the world fills up with stories. Just the other day, I was in my neighborhood Starbucks, waiting for the post office to open. I was enjoying a chocolatey caffé mocha when it occurred to me that to drink a mocha is to gulp down the entire history of the New World. From the Spanish exportation of Aztec cacao, and the Dutch invention of the chemical process for making cocoa, on down to the capitalist empire of Hershey, PA, and the lifestyle marketing of Seattle’s Starbucks, the modern mocha is a bitter-sweet concoction of imperialism, genocide, invention, and consumerism served with whipped cream on top. No wonder it costs so much.

It is probably significant that the most widespread words in the world—borrowed into virtually every language—are the names of the four great caffeine plants: coffee, cacao, cola, and tea. [Quoting F.N. Anderson’s ‘The Food of China’ (1988).]

Walking back across the St-Esprit bridge, to the ghetto I'd instinctively gravitated toward, I mentally erected a more appropriate statue on the square. It would depict an unknown Sephardic Jew, kneeling over a stone tripod covered with crushed cacao beans destined for a cup of chocolate for one of the gentiles of Bayonne. It would be a symbolic piece, executed in smooth, chocolate-hued marble, and dedicated to all the other forgotten heroes--coffee-drinking Sufi dervishes, peyote-eating Native Americans, Mexican hemp-smokers--who, throughout history, have faced the wrath of all the sultans, drug czars, and Vatican clerics who have resorted to any spurious pretext to squelch one of the most venerable and misunderstood of human drives: the desire to escape, however briefly, everyday consciousness.

Madame hesitated. I could see her natural suspicion at war with the scent that came from the box: the smoky, espresso scent of cacao; the hint of clove; of cardamom; of vanilla; the fleeting aroma of Armagnac- a fragrance like lost time; a bittersweetness like childhood's end.

There was still a line, but a bit of waiting was a good thing; you need time to choose between pink grapefruit and raspberry sorbet or cinnamon and honey nougat ice cream. They serve golf ball-sized scoops, so you have to be a real purist to walk away with just one boule. Courtney and I both got doubles- pear and cacao amer (bitter chocolate) for her, peach and rhubarb for me.

Guardai senza rimpianti la casa-grande. L'amore per la mia classe, per i braccianti e gli operai, amore umano e grande, avrebbe ucciso l'amore meschino per la figlia del padrone. La pensavo così, e avevo ragione. Alla curva della strada mi voltai. Honório mi salutava con le sue mani enormi. Sulla veranda della casa-grande il vento scompigliava i capelli di Mária. Io partivo per la lotta col cuore pulito e felice.

Even today, chocolate is made by fermenting the beans for several days to allow richer and more complex flavors to emerge. They are then dried, roasted, and cracked open so that the nibs—the meaty part of the bean—can be extracted. The nibs are ground into a powder or paste that, along with a little sugar, becomes dark chocolate. If milk is added, it becomes milk chocolate. And if the fat, called cacao butter, is extracted by itself and mixed with sugar, that is white chocolate.

Mi piaceva, Colodino... Non l'ho preso perché era affittato come noi. Uccidere un coronel va bene, ma uno che lavora non lo ammazzo. Non sono un traditore..." Solo parecchio tempo dopo ho saputo che il gesto di Honório non si chiamava generosità. Aveva un nome più bello: Coscienza di classe.

I remember when Vianne Rocher first moved into town all those years ago. That window, papered in orange and gold, just like a Chinese lantern. That scent of spices, and incense smoke, like something from the Arabian Nights. So many things have changed since then: now Vianne and I are almost friends. But how I resented that little shop, with its brightly colored awning, and the scent of vanilla and allspice and the bitter rasp of raw cacao drifting out into the air. How I longed to step in, to taste the wares in those glass cases! Now, I tell myself, I could. But though I do not fast for Lent, chocolate still seems one indulgence too far.

She had been an untamed mestiza of the so-called shopkeeper aristocracy: seductive, rapacious, brazen, with a hunger in her womb that could have satisfied an entire barracks. In a few short years, however, she had been erased from the world by her abuse of fermented honey and cacao tablets. Her Gypsy eyes were extinguished and her wits dulled, she shat blood and vomited bile, her sirens body became as bloated and coppery as a three-day-old corpse, and she broke wind in pestilential explosions that startled the mastiffs. She almost never left her bedroom, and when she did she was nude or wearing a silk tunic with nothing underneath, which made her seem more naked than if she wore nothing at all.

THE NINE PLANTS OF DESIRE ~ Gloxinia--The mythical plant of love at first sight. ~ Mexican cycad--The plant of immortality. A living dinosaur straight from the Jurassic period. ~ Cacao--The chocolate tree of food and fortune. ~ Moonflower--Bringer of fertility and procreation. ~ Cannabis sativa in the form of sinsemilla--The plant of female sexuality. ~ Lily of the valley--Delivers life force. In a pinch, this beautiful plant can replace digitalis as medication for an ailing heart. ~ Mandrake--According to both William Shakespeare and the Holy Bible, this is the plant of magic. ~ Chicory--The plant of freedom. Offering invisibility to those who dare to ingest its bitter, milky juice. ~ Datura--The plant of mind travel and high adventure. Bringer of visions and dreams of the future.

There's always a moment before a storm when the wind seems to change its mind. It plays at domesticity; it flirts with the blossoms on the trees; it teases the rain from the dull grey clouds. This moment of playfulness is when the wind is at its cruelest and most dangerous. Not later, when trees fall and the blossom is just blotting-paper choking the drains and rivulets. Not when houses fall like cards, and walls you though were firm and secure are torn away like paper. No, the cruellest moment is always the one in which you think you might be safe; that maybe the wind has moved on at last; that maybe you can start rebuilding again, something that can;t be blown away. That's the moment at which the wind is at its most insidious. That's the moment where grief begins. The moment of unexpected joy. The demon of hope inside Pandora's box. The moment when the cacao bean releases its scent into the air: a scent of burning, and spices, and salt; and blood; and vanilla; and heartache.

HEY, LADY? IS THAT PRETTY DECORATION ON THE CURRY... REALLY A PIECE OF CHOCOLATE?!" "How is that even possible?!" "Do you see its delicate, complex design? And they're mass-producing it?! It even has a colorful swirl pattern on it!" "Not even a professional could manage something like this!" "It wasn't hard, really. I just printed those chocolates using a 3-D Food Printer." "A 3-D Printer? Oh, I've heard of those!" "But I didn't know you could use it to print food!" "Dark chocolate makes a perfect accent to curry, y'know. Take some 80 percent cacao chocolate, add a dash of curry spices to it and then print it out in totally cute designs with a 3-D Printer! Put it on top of some piping hot curry, and it will start to melt, adding a rich, colorful undertone to the flavor of the dish!" "Papa, I want some! Buy me that!" "Sure thing! Your papa wants to try it too!" "Mm! The curry itself smells so good I could melt! But then they go and add that beautiful chocolate topping?!" "Man, Totsuki students are amazing!" They like it. "That chocolate is, like, all bonus. It adds a colorful touch and a little sweet scent... without affecting the curry spices you balanced so carefully.

Working with chocolate always helps me find the calm centre of my life. It has been with me for so long; nothing here can surprise me. This afternoon I am making pralines, and the little pan of chocolate is almost ready on the burner. I like to make these pralines by hand. I use a ceramic container over a shallow copper pan: an unwieldy, old-fashioned method, perhaps, but the beans demand special treatment. They have traveled far, and deserve the whole of my attention. Today I am using couverture made from the Criollo bean: its taste is subtle, deceptive; more complex than the stronger flavors of the Forastero; less unpredictable than the hybrid Trinitario. Most of my customers will not know that I am using this rarest of cacao beans; but I prefer it, even though it may be more expensive. The tree is susceptible to disease: the yield is disappointingly low; but the species dates back to the time of the Aztecs, the Olmecs, the Maya. The hybrid Trinitario has all but wiped it out, and yet there are still some suppliers who deal in the ancient currency. Nowadays I can usually tell where a bean was grown, as well as its species. These come from South America, from a small, organic farm. But for all my skill, I have never seen a flower from the Theobroma cacao tree, which only blooms for a single day, like something in a fairytale. I have seen photographs, of course. In them, the cacao blossom looks something like a passionflower: five-petaled and waxy, but small, like a tomato plant, and without that green and urgent scent. Cacao blossoms are scentless; keeping their spirit inside a pod roughly the shape of a human heart. Today I can feel that heart beating: a quickening inside the copper pan that will soon release a secret. Half a degree more of heat, and the chocolate will be ready. A filter of steam rises palely from the glossy surface. Half a degree, and the chocolate will be at its most tender and pliant.

...quand l'humanité marchera depuis longtemps à l'échelle des étoiles, ceux qui vivront alors seront loin d'imaginer la crèche barbare où, pour une tasse de cacao, nous avons livré nos pitoyables combats, seuls ou avec d'autres, mais même à ce moment-là on ne pourra toujours pas corriger le destin de celui qui n'a pas de place dans la vie de personne.p. 326

Inside the bag are a couple dozen hazelnut cookies and a small plastic bag filled with what looks like mouse droppings. I open the package and drop a couple onto my tongue. They taste a little like chocolate, deeply flavored, thick, and somewhat bitter. But the aftertaste is something entirely different, sweeter, fuller, and much more complex, something you couldn't have predicted from their first gustatory impression.

No todo esto se debió a Alemán. Más bien, el gobierno de Cárdenas ofreció exenciones para proteger las valiosas plantaciones frutales de banano, café, cacao y sisal de la reforma agraria. Alemán se limitó a utilizar estos decretos, que tenían una importancia significativa para Veracruz y sus terratenientes más ricos, en su beneficio.26

In the side refrigerators, where Vito so carefully arranges the morning's new attractions, you'll find even more examples of a traditional caseificio gone rogue: a wheel of aged goat cheese coated in a rough armor of wild herbs; a thick, blue-veined goat cheese soaked red with purple with Primitivo wine; goat yogurt in half a dozen international flavors. You won't be surprised to find that the early efforts of the Dicecca boys were met with opposition- both from the family and the regular clientele. Each brother has a story about the resistance he has encountered along the way- the parental eye rolling at the cacao-coated goat cheese, the sisterly skepticism about mango-stuffed burrata, the customers' confusion at the latest experiment to emerge from the lactic laboratory in back. Every story ends the same way: with one or all of the family members doubting the viability of another esoteric cheese, followed by the long, slow acceptance by enough customers to justify its real estate space in the display case. "When I started making cheese with the Nikka barrel, they made fun of me, said I was destroying the taste of the cheese. Now they're copying me. That's the pattern we always see: at first they make fun, then they start to copy.

Hasta fines del siglo XVI el mercado mexicano absorbía además gran parte de la producción de la provincia de Izalcos, Guatemala, y en menor proporción la de Sonsonate, hoy El Salvador. Como estas importaciones tampoco bastaron fue necesario traer cacao de América del Sur. La introducción masiva del fruto procedente de Caracas, Maracaibo y Guayaquil desplazó al de Soconusco y Tabasco al grado de que su producción permaneció estacionaria durante todo el siglo XVII.

According to Britt, Hector was spending the last few weeks before Stray opened perfecting some mad scientist's ice cream cone, cacao custard in a cup constructed out of malt or something equally odd, plus a salted, buttered popcorn ice cream. He'd created some kind of hot fried pastry with a cool Meyer lemon center, served with Thai basil cream and a sparkling drift of sugared zest. Britt had described them as otherworldly beignets.

Look, Herb, I could keep you all here all afternoon, sniffin' and slurpin' pink Peruvian peppercorns and criollo cacao, and cinnamon and cascarilla and coriander, and caraway and carrot seed and so much climbing ylang-ylang you couldn't tell a cup of tea from a cup of turpentine.

They saw it as a food of the gods, and believed that the cacao tree originally grew only in Paradise, but was stolen and brought to mankind by their god Quetzalcoatl, who descended from heaven on a beam of the morning star, carrying a cacao tree.

Thử nhìn xung quanh, có ai dám thay đổi điều gì? Người ta nát óc trước khi quyết định chuyển tường phòng ngủ từ màu be sang vàng nhạt. Người ta không thể thuê nhà ở nơi khác chỉ vì đã quá quen với cửa hàng bánh mì đầu phố. Người ta gọi điện báo cảnh sát giao thông vì một cái xe tải đã đỗ đúng vào con đường buổi chiều vẫn đi dạo. Người ta cãi nhau rầm rĩ để xem Giáng Sinh năm nay mời ông bà nội hay ông bà ngoại, ăn gà nướng hay vịt quay, đặt ga-tô hương cà phê hay vị ca-cao, mua ba chai sâm-banh không biết đã đủ. Tóm lại, người ta lần lượt tạo ra vô vàn thói quen và cương quyết bảo vệ chúng như con ngươi của mắt mình.

El chocolate estaba prohibido a los mortales. La espumosa bebida era deleite de los dioses, y sólo de ellos, hasta que uno de ellos los traicionó. Quetzalcóatl bajó desde los cielos y se vino a vivir con los toltecas, gente sufrida que se mataba trabajando. Fue él quien les regaló esa alegría: en la barba les trajo, escondidas, las cuatro semillas del cacao, que había robado a sus hermanos. Y fue adorado por los toltecas, que en el trono lo sentaron y alzaron un gran templo, en la ciudad de Tula, para darle casa. Cuando los dioses vieron que los toltecas bebían chocolate, enviaron al dios de la noche en misión de venganza. El dios de la noche se deslizó a la tierra por un largo hilo de araña, se disfrazó de mercader, se hizo amigo de Quetzalcóatl y lo emborrachó con pulque. Y los súbditos del rey de los toltecas vieron las ridiculeces que hizo y escucharon las estupideces que dijo. Quetzalcóatl despertó con tremenda cruda, boca sin saliva, cabeza de tambor. Humillado, se fue. Marchó caminando hacia la mar lejana, y allá se perdiór

Maya were largely farmers, growing domesticated crops, such as maize, all kinds of exotic fruits, cacao, and root crops. But their diet (one of the healthiest diets you could have in the ancient world) still depended largely on hunting and fishing in the lush fields and waters that surrounded them.

I tweak one of my favorite recipes for chocolate mousse to match Natasha's vague description, using both rum and crème de cacao, along with a dash of coffee, to heighten the chocolate flavor. I'd originally developed the recipe with François Bardon back in Chicago as the filling to his famous chocolate charlotte, a towering confection of velvety chocolate mousse surrounded by fluffy ladyfingers, the whole thing capped off with a billowy layer of whipped cream. But for this version, I streamline the process and adjust the ratios of chocolate, cream, and eggs so that it's more in line with what Natasha's grandmother might have made.

I’ll take some antioxidants to combat stress and exercise-induced free radical damage, but I’m not talking about vitamin pills. I’m talking about blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, acai and goji berries, moringa, spinach, kale, carrots, and spirulina. I’ll also think about eating some walnuts for protein and drinking coconut water for electrolytes. And when I crave dessert, instead of ice cream or pie I’ll try blending banana and berries with coconut milk and cacao—a chocolate-flavored nutritious superfood high in antioxidants. A guilt-free delight.

PLANTPOWER DIET Favorite Smoothie Ingredients Kale Spinach Dandelion Greens Beets and Beetroot Tomato Blackberry Blueberry Strawberry Spirulina Chlorophyll Hemp Seed, Oil, and Milk Acai Berry Coconut, Coconut Milk, Keifer, Water, and Oil Almonds and Almond Milk Cacao Aloe Vera Orange Grapefruit Spinach Celery Avocado Chia Seed Maca Marine Phytoplankton Almonds Walnuts Pepita Seeds Blue Green Algae Apple Cider Vinegar Green Sprouts Goji Berries Bananas

PEPPERMINT CREAM COCKTAIL 3/4 oz (20ml) crème de menthe 3/4 oz (20ml) white crème de cacao 3/4 oz (20ml) hazelnut liqueur 3/4 oz (20ml) Baileys Irish Cream 3/4 oz (20ml) cream 3/4 oz (20ml) milk Good quality cocoa powder Half-fill a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Pour in all the ingredients and shake vigorously. Strain into a cocktail glass and top with milk to taste. Sift a light dusting of cocoa powder on the top and serve. Maggie’s tip: If you’d prefer a more subtle hint of mint, use half the recommended amount of crème de menthe and a little more Baileys.

1½ ounces mezcal ½ ounce crème de cacao, preferably Tempus Fugit ½ ounce ancho chile liqueur 3 dashes chocolate bitters Orange twist for garnish

Dina hummed to herself as she pulled out an empty jam jar from a busy cupboard. It was still labeled "Apricot Jam" from the batch her mum had made for her last year--- jam that tasted like bottled sunshine. There wasn't an exact science to the magic, but Dina often found that the best tea blends were ones she put into secondhand jars, ones that had been full of delicious, wonderful things. She clipped her curls out of her face and headed into the pantry. The walls were lined floor-to-ceiling with all manner of jars and boxes, all individually labeled in Dina's messy handwriting. She kept her spices together, along with other baking essentials like fish vanilla, cake flour, and a tin that was labeled "Eye of Newt" but actually contained nutmeg. Her tea selection had several shelves dedicated to it. Aside from the specialty blends she made for the shop, Dina kept a collection of tea and tisane ingredients, which she could mix into more personal blends at a moment's notice. Dina never felt more in her element as a kitchen witch than when she was looking through her pantry. Scott's tea blend needed to be something that encapsulated his energies yet also helped him in some way. A tea to drink in the middle of a long work day, Dina decided. She twirled a curl around her finger as she focused. She hadn't met any of his fellow curators yet, but from what Scott had told her they could be a bit of a handful. So the kind of tea that would help him get through a long meeting. Something to sharpen a tired mind. Dina knew just the thing for it. She scooped up several jars and laid them out on the counter before her. Black tea--- a full-bodied assam, cacao nibs, dried ginger and... it was missing something. Dina stepped back into the pantry and surveyed her shelves with her hands on her hips. She knew that this would need one more ingredient to be perfect for Scott. Lion's mane mushroom? Perhaps a little too earthy. Clove? Too heavy. It would overpower the other flavors. As her eyes skirted over the rows of jars, she spotted it. A small glass jar with a dark red powder in it. Dried beetroot! Perfect! Energizing yet slightly sweet and smooth, and it would make Scott look like he was drinking some kind of red-velvet-themed drink. Which was also his favorite cake flavor.

You will need to increase the number of eggs and liquid when using coconut flour. The general ratio rule I follow is 1/2 cup (60 g) coconut flour plus 5 eggs plus 1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut milk (or other liquid). This ratio will vary depending on the other ingredients in the recipe; for example, if the recipe calls for mashed bananas, the bananas will add extra moisture to the batter, so you’ll need to reduce another liquid, say coconut milk, by 1/4 cup (60 ml). And if I’m adding cacao powder to a recipe, I usually adjust the flour down a little or increase the liquid slightly because cacao powder also absorbs moisture. Break Up Lumps. Coconut flour tends to be clumpy, so sifting the flour before mixing it into a recipe will help you avoid finding clumps in your baked goods. I tend to place my batters in a food processor, which helps break down the clumps without having to sift the flour. Store It Dry. Coconut flour is best if stored at room temperature in your pantry.

Costa Rica Craft Cerveza Artisanal beers are gaining momentum in Costa Rica, a development that doubtless will thrill visiting beer aficionados. Over the last several years, craft breweries have popped up in various hot spots, bringing creative birras (beers) to palates thirsting for something more complex than the ubiquitous Imperial. Imagine sipping a locally brewed pineapple Hefeweizen, red ale or cacao stout at sunset – it brings a hoppy tear to our eye (Click here).

Ingredients 2 cups frozen cherries 1 frozen banana 2 tablespoons cacao powder 2 tablespoons chia seeds 2 tablespoons cacao nibs 1 leaf dinosaur kale 1 cup apple juice 1 cup filtered water

Skin Food makes a really popular Black Sugar Scrub exfoliator. Some other common products include: Innisfree’s Jeju Volcanic Pore Scrub Foam, The Saem’s Silky Smooth Pore Scrub Foam, and Missha’s Choco Cacao Scrub. After

The Lima merchant's correspondent in Mexico City was Simon Vaez de Sevilla.16 Vaez de Sevilla had associates in Manila (who provided him with Asian commodities), Oaxaca (who provided him with cochineal), and Guatemala (who provided him with cacao and tobacco).17 All these goods were thus made available to the Lima merchant and were regularly sent down to Peru along the Pacific route or through Cartagena de Indias. Bautista Perez also depended on a number of suppliers-Diego Rodriguez de Lisboa, Enrique de Andrade, and Agustin Perez-in Lisbon and Seville to send him a range of European goods for sale in Lima and throughout Peru. Each of these suppliers had his own network of associates and correspondents on whom he, in turn, relied for provisioning. Given their location in what were two of the great European entrepots of the time, these Lisbon- and Seville-based merchants were often able to purchase on the spot the goods requested by Bautista Perez. They simply had to make the necessary arrangements with local brokers and merchants who specialized in bringing textiles and manufactured goods from the wider European economy (see Figure 4.1).18

When traditional cultures are outlawed, that is the homogenization of culture. It’s an old story, which could be told by any Native American, or by my grandparents, who fled pogroms and saw the Eastern European Yiddishkeit they were born into disperse and disappear in a single generation. By the time I headed home to the land of obscenely stocked supermarket shelves, I had come to the conclusion that no matter what I said or did, my presence in Africa served only to glamorize the capitalist world order, adding to the seductive allure that if you abandon your traditional culture, educate your kids in colonial languages at missionary schools, and grow cacao beans for export, maybe someday you’ll accumulate the kind of excess wealth to travel to the other side of the globe, just for fun and stimulation.

The quests abandoned, Venezuela slumbered for two centuries, a coffee- and cacao-exporting backwater of Spain’s American empire. By the late eighteenth century, with revolution shaking France and North America, Venezuela grew restive. Criollo elites, the landowning descendants of Spanish settlers, wanted to be rid of Madrid’s regulations and taxes; mulatto artisans and merchants yearned for better land and jobs; at the bottom of the pyramid black slaves demanded freedom, and Indians wished just to be left alone. Bolívar’s wars ousted the Spanish and delivered independence, but his dream of a South America united into a single, enlightened country evaporated. Republics seceded, and caudillos, regional strongmen, carved personal fiefdoms that perpetuated colonial inequalities. Bolívar died in 1830, broken and disillusioned. “America is ungovernable. Those who serve the revolution plow the sea.

Chocó Pecan Snack Prep Time: 10 minutes* Servings: 6   INGREDIENTS 1 cup raw pecans 1 cup dried pitted dates 2 tablespoons raw coconut butter (or cacao butter) 1/4 cup raw cocoa powder 1/4 cup shredded or flaked coconut 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt   Instructions 1.      Line square baking dish with parchment paper. Allow coconut or cacao butter to soften. 2.      Add pecans to food processor or high-speed blender and process until finely ground, about 1 minute. 3.      Add dates and coconut or cacao butter and process until mixture sticks together, about 1 - 2 minutes. 4.      Add cocoa, coconut and salt. Process until well ground but not completely smooth. 5.      *Transfer mixture to parchment lined baking dish and firmly press into bottom with hands or spatula. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. 6.      Remove from refrigerator. Slice and serve chilled. Or allow to warm to room temperature and

Essential Ingredients in the Paleo Kitchen   Transitioning to a Paleo lifestyle means that gradually you’ll become familiar with previously unknown ingredients. Stock your pantry with some of the foods from below and you’ll always have something quick and easy to whip up: Frozen broth (for adding to meals in a pinch – see recipe below) Plenty of dried herbs and spices (oregano, black pepper, turmeric and cinnamon are always needed and full of antioxidants) Cans of coconut milk and cream (for soups and smoothies) Coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil (for cooking and dressings) Fresh lemons Fresh garlic and ginger Fresh herbs such as coriander and parsley (grow some on your kitchen window sill) Avocadoes A jar of tahini (a great peanut butter substitute and salad dressing ingredient) Dijon mustard (for any kind of meat) Honey Crushed tomatoes or tomato puree (avoid those brands in cans) Eggs Greek yogurt (for sauces) A bar of 80% cacao dark chocolate (for when your cravings hit!) Plenty of good quality butter

Josh and his wife, Jacq, launched Bahen & Co. in 2011. Bahen handcrafts every bar of chocolate, using just two ingredients: cacao beans and cane sugar. The beans are sourced from a handful of farmers whom Josh has looked in the eye. The beans are ground

We live so many lifetimes in one lifetime. The most precious form of life is the child. Second is the cacao plant. All I can do is do all I can.

frothing jugs of cacao liquor;

frothing jugs of cacao

Every now and then was handed to him a golden pitcher filled with a kind of liquor made from the cacao, which is of a very exciting nature.[

Celina loved experimenting with new flavors and expanding Stella di Cioccolato. She'd created a spicy chocolate truffle with mild chili peppers and white truffles made from cocoa butter and lemon. But the secret of the gran blanco- the rare white beans- would remain a secret of the Andean people until they wished to share it with the world again.

Inspired by the traditions of Piedmont comes a handcrafted, milk chocolate gianduiotto truffle speckled with roasted hazelnuts. This is to honor my late husband's family, the Savoias." When Sara and Carmine sampled the truffles and nodded their approval, Celina breathed a sigh of relief. "Next, we'll sample the sweet lemon flavor of sfusato amalfitano, formed in the shape of lemons and dusted with sea salt to enhance the flavor." After explaining her inspiration for this local favorite and receiving approval, she gestured to Karin and moved on to the next one. "This one is a twist on basil, mint, and limoncello. These flavors are enrobed in rich, dark Venezuelan chocolate. I import the cacao beans and roast them downstairs in my kitchen." Surprise crossed a few faces, followed with growing delight. Celina continued. "Next, you'll sample a truffle infused with blood orange and topped with roasted pistachios from Sicily, and sweetened with Madagascar vanilla.

Stepping across discarded, rotting pod shells toward the cacao trees, she wondered if these were the prized white cacao beans that produced the legendary chocolate that Aztec kings had consumed. Did these trees yield the smoothest, most flavorful, aromatic cocoa that had been the ultimate lingua franca between chocolate aficionados, chefs, and growers around the world?

love potion The cherry-vanilla combination in this cocktail is somewhat reminiscent of childhood, but given that those flavors are mixed with sake and prosecco here, this drink is very grown-up. Finishing off the cocktail’s highball with chocolate sugar is a stroke of genius, if I do say so myself; the pitch-perfect end result is practically dessert. TIME: 5 MINUTES SERVES: 1 2 tablespoons coconut sugar 1½ teaspoons unsweetened cacao powder ½ ounce Vanilla Syrup 1½ ounces sake 3 ounces cherry juice Prosecco On a small round plate, mix the coconut sugar and cacao powder until fully combined. Using a sponge or paper towel, moisten the highball glass rim with a bit of vanilla syrup. Dip the rim in the chocolate coconut sugar, without twisting. Make sure the rim is thoroughly coated. Fill the rimmed glass three-quarters full with ice. Add the sake, cherry juice, and vanilla syrup. Top with prosecco. Stir briefly with a barspoon. Serve and enjoy.

¼ cup organic dried apricots, chopped ¼ cup organic dried mango, chopped ¼ cup organic dried cranberries ¼ cup organic dried blueberries ½ cup mini dark chocolate chips (70% or greater cacao) or chopped dark chocolate ½ cup whole dates (approximately 6–7 large), pitted and roughly chopped ¼ cup maple syrup ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl combine the cashews, oats, and salt. Add the apricots, mango, cranberries, blueberries, and chocolate and mix well. To the bowl of a food processor add the dates, maple syrup, and vanilla, and puree until smooth. If the mixture is too thick or chunky, add warm water one spoonful at

Spanish woman who allegedly developed the cacao bean roaster in 1847. Her name was María Purificación García.

These are taken from inside the fruit of the cacao tree-- Theobroma cacao. It means 'food of the gods.'" He beamed. "Si, señora"-- he tipped the tiny pods into her other palm-- "in your hand, you hold the equivalent of ambrosia. An ambrosia we turn into nectar.

The problem was that I wasn’t her, his firstborn; born in Europe to a Spanish mother. I wasn’t passionate about the land, about those damned cacao beans and chocolate like she was—even from afar. No, I was born in the New Continent; I was the daughter of a mestiza, his second not-so-legal wife and certainly not a full-blooded hidalga. It didn’t matter that I wore the latest fashion or how light my hair was (I washed it with manzanilla tea every other day to keep my blond streaks). It didn’t matter that I married a Frenchman

Chocolate, the real, unadulterated delight made from raw or roasted cacao beans is a deeply nutritious food that is also very satisfying.

jitterbug Few ingredients combine to create as much comfort as do coffee and chocolate. The Jitterbug includes this star duo while also tossing in some coconut, vanilla, and, of course, alcohol, in the form of rum. It’s essentially a vacation in a glass, but one so filled with activities that you need a little pick-me-up in order to make it through cocktail hour. Teetotalers can use rum extract mixed with water to simulate the liquor content in this drink. TIME: 5 MINUTES SERVES: 1 2 tablespoons coconut sugar 1½ teaspoons unsweetened cacao powder 1 ounce Vanilla Syrup 1½ ounces dark rum 2 ounces coconut cream 3 ounces cold-brew coffee 3 coffee beans, for garnish Mix the coconut sugar and cacao powder on a small round plate until fully combined. Fill a large coupe (10 to 12 ounces) with ice and water to chill the glass, then discard them when the glass is sufficiently cold. Using a sponge or paper towel, moisten the rim of the chilled glass with a bit of vanilla syrup. Turn the glass upside down and dip it into the chocolate coconut sugar, without twisting. Make sure the rim is thoroughly coated. Combine the rum, coconut cream, vanilla syrup, and coffee in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into the sugared-rim coupe. Garnish with the coffee beans to make a triangle shape. Serve and enjoy.

Cacao Bliss a person planning on getting a cat rabbit, require it and it need a place for it to remain. If you are handy with woodworking, could want in order to money and make your own rabbit hutch. Otherwise, when possible need to consider for a hutch is definitely large enough for your rabbit and will be suited for that area by means of you in order to keep the product. You should always be your rabbit has fresh, clean water and food available, also it is essential to communicate with your pet to storing it from losing interest.

​Theobroma cacao is an example of biological inefficiency. Its flower blossoms are pollenated exclusively by the midge fly. Of the hundreds of flowers produced by one cacao tree, only 1-3% bear fruit. Each flower results in a large pod containing 30-40 almond-shaped seeds or beans. Pods reach full growth in 4-5 months and take 1 month to ripen.

​Cacao pods are hard to open, but squirrels, monkeys, and rats open them for their white pulp and thus avoid the seeds often dispersing them. The seed sprouts quickly and the resulting tree bears fruit in its third or fourth year.

Mr Devil's Food Cake gave off the distinct impression that the laws of reality simply didn't apply to him. That was the nickname I’d come to in the end. Honourable mention also went to Mr Cacao Orange Gateau, Sir Espresso Walnut Slice and Daddy Dark Chocolate Mousse.

Stephanie Scott was handcrafted chocolate created by a monk in the alps, using cacao beans he sang to sleep every night with Gregorian chants.

Berthillon's ice cream is dense and creamy--- served, in keeping with French rules of moderation, in golf-ball-size scoops. You have to be a real purist to order a simple (pronounced samp-le"). I usually ordered a double (doob-le"). Menthe (fresh mint), Créole (rum raisin), and nougat-miel (honey-nougat) are at the top of my list. But as good as the ice cream is, it's the sorbets that are Berthillon's real standouts. I almost always order cacao amer, a bitter chocolate sorbet so dark it's closing in on black. My second scoop depends on the season: pear, melon, rhubarb, or framboise à la rose (raspberry with a hint of rose). But habit often sets in and I go back to my old favorite: fraise des bois (wild strawberry). These tiny gem-like fruits are the equivalent of strawberry grenades, releasing a tart, concentrated flavor that downgrades every other strawberry I've tasted to the level of Bubblicious.

They had dined off sole veronique, followed by escalope de veau milanaise, proceeding to poire flambée with ice cream. They had drunk a Pouilly Fuissé followed by a Corton, and a very good port now reposed at Mr. Entwhistle’s elbow. Poirot, who did not care for port, was sipping Crème de Cacao.

Chestnuts have always been an ingredient that goes well with gamy meats. And in French cuisine, chestnuts are often seen in combination with venison. But the mildly sweet flavor and tender texture of these sweet chestnuts makes them melt in the mouth! That flavor combined with the smoky aroma of the charcoal grilling, makes the juicy meatiness of the venison stand out in stark contrast! This flavor isn't something that could be created with regular chestnuts. It's a deliciousness made possible precisely because he chose to use sweet chestnuts! "He minced some of them and added them to the sauce as well! Doing that spread their mild sweetness throughout the whole dish!" Soma's Chestnut Sauce Starting with a base of Fond de Veau (a brown stock usually made with veal), he added a cinnamon stick, orange zest and minced sweet chestnuts and then set the sauce to simmer. "Wait a minute. How odd! Charcoal grilling usually adds a unique and very distinctly bitter taste to ingredients. A taste that is decidedly outside the canon of French flavors! Yet this dish has taken that bitter taste and somehow made it fit seamlessly! Is there some secret to it?!" "That would be the coffee." "What?!" "Coffee?" "Yep! You guessed it! That's the Divine Tongue for you. One of the things I learned at Master Shinomiya's restaurant is that cacao goes really well with game meats. I've never used cacao much, though, to be honest... So instead I grabbed some instant coffee! The bitterness of coffee is similar enough to pure cacao that it paired up nicely with both the charcoal grilling and the gamy venison... ... resulting in a deeply rich and astringent flavor that's perfect for a truly French sauce. I added both coffee and chestnuts as secret ingredients to my sauce! This is a Yukihira Original and a brand-new French dish. I call it... ... Charcoal-Grilled Venison Thigh with Chestnut Sauce." In formal Japanese cooking bowl dishes, such as soups and rice bowls, are constructed from four elements: the main ingredient, the supporting ingredients, the stock and the accents. Similarly, the French dishes are constructed from three different parts balanced in harmony: the main ingredient, the sauce and the garnishes. But this dish... this is eccentric and novel and entirely unconventional while still remaining undeniably French! It's almost as if it's a nugget of flavor found only by cracking and peeling away the shell of common sense...

Let’s move on to plants. Most of us have had coffee, tea, and chocolate (derived from cacao). The Brazilians among us will be familiar with the drink Guaraná Antarctica, made from the guaraná plant in the Amazon rainforest. All four plants produce the same chemical desired by humans: a purine alkaloid called 1,3,7-trimethylpurine-2,6-dione—in short, caffeine.9 These four plants may seem to be closely related, but they aren’t. The common ancestor of tea and coffee dates back a hundred million years. Cacao is more closely related to maple and eucalyptus trees than to tea and coffee. Bizarrely, the ancestor of coffee gave rise to potatoes and tomatoes but not tea! Plants have many defense mechanisms against predators, and it appears that some have converged toward the same solution: producing caffeine. Many plants rely on birds to pollinate their flowers. So if a plant depends on hummingbirds for pollination, what should it do? Develop red flowers because red is attractive to hummingbirds. Consequently, eighteen types of plants that hummingbirds pollinate have evolved bright red flowers.

A large study with 114,000 participants found that those who regularly ate a piece of chocolate had a 37 percent lower risk of a heart attack and a 29 percent lower risk of a stroke.208 Cacao can also slow down the aging of the brain.

eating 10 grams of dark chocolate (about one fifth of a chocolate bar) is sufficient to ingest enough of these substances that are good for your heart and blood vessels, as well as your brain. The dark chocolate should contain at least 70 percent cacao. Fruit

A los monjes capuchinos les compraron plátanos, tubérculos de mandioca, pollos y cacao, además de los frutos del tamarindo, unas especies de vainas que, según les dijeron, convertían el agua del río en una refrescante limonada.

Wampusirpi has an organic cacao cooperative, which produced blocks of pure chocolate, shipped downriver to market. It is said by chocolate aficionados to be some of the finest single-source chocolate in the world.

Phil’s Fat-Burning Organic Coffee Made from 1½ cups of strong coffee. In a tall jar or blender, add: - About ¼ cup heavy cream. -   One raw egg yolk (or very soft-cooked whole egg). - About one tablespoon of coconut oil. -   About a teaspoon of ground or shaved raw unsweetened cacao. Add 2–3 tablespoons of hot coffee and blend (I use a hand blender). Add the remaining coffee, pour into a relaxing mug, and enjoy!

2 packets of Truvia 4 cubes of frozen avocados. ¼-½ cup heavy whipping cream ¼-½ cup coconut cream. TIP: Buy canned coconut milk. Store one can in the refrigerator. This hardens the fat-filled coconut cream part of the product and allows you to pour off the coconut water. Use only the high-fat portion of coconut milk. 2 teaspoons of Cacao Powder. Cinnamon to taste Put all of the above in a blender and puree away for the best carb-free ice cream EVER!!

I stared, losing myself in the fond memories of chocolates in their paper shells at Christmas, in the surprise and discovery of the filling inside, the strong, earthy scent of cacao, and the taste of the trinity- the over-the-top sweetness of the white chocolate, the smooth finish of milk, and the bitterness of the dark.

T1 consisted of nineteen settlements distributed throughout the valley. It was an immense human-engineered environment, in which the ancient Mosquitia people transformed the rainforest into a lush, curated landscape. They leveled terraces, reshaped hills, and built roads, reservoirs, and irrigation canals. In its heyday T1 probably looked like an unkempt English garden, with plots of food crops and medicinal plants mingled with stands of valuable trees such as cacao and fruit, alongside large open areas for public ceremonies, games, and group activities, and shady patches for work and socializing. There were extensive flower beds, because flowers were an important crop used in religious ceremonies. All these growing areas were mixed in with residential houses, many on raised earthen platforms to avoid seasonal flooding, connected by paths. “Having these garden spaces embedded within urban areas,” said Fisher, “is one characteristic of New World cities that made them sustainable and livable.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BRITTLE Serves 12 to 15 THIS RECIPE HAS MADE THE ROUNDS, AND NEVER FAILS TO IMPRESS. IT’S ALL THE satisfaction of crisp, sugary, brown-buttery chocolate chip cookies for very little time and effort. Perfect for weekday baking, gifting, compulsive snacking, and making friends and influencing people. Try a variety of chip and nut combinations in the mix—I love bittersweet chocolate chips and pecans, but consider cashews and butterscotch chips, shredded coconut, salted peanuts, and more—this workhorse of a recipe can take it. 1 cup/225 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 cup/200 g granulated sugar 1 teaspoon fine sea salt 2 cups/256 g all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled 1 cup/170 g chopped pecans, lightly toasted 1 cup/170 g bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao) Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 350°F/180°C. Have ready a 12 × 17-inch/30 × 43 cm rimmed baking sheet. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and vanilla. Add the sugar and salt and continue to whisk until the mixture thickens and appears pastelike. Switch to a wooden spoon or spatula and mix in the flour. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips. Press the mixture into the ungreased pan in a thin, even layer (use the chocolate chips as your guide—try to get them in as close to a single layer as possible throughout the dough, and you’ll have the right thickness). Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until light golden brown (the edges will be a bit darker than the center), rotating the pan 180 degrees every 7 to 8 minutes during baking. Let cool completely before breaking into charmingly irregular pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

«Los venezolanos habíamos sido hechos para vender cacao y distribuir, en nuestro suelo, las baratijas del exterior», dice Rangel60.

Los desocupados buscan árboles bajo los cuales dormir y bananas verdes para engañar el estómago: no comen, por cierto, los finos chocolates europeos que Brasil, tercer productor mundial de cacao, importa increíblemente desde Francia y desde Suiza.

It started when I met you in the rain forest. When I almost stepped on the cycad and the gloxinia, but you stopped me just in time." "That's when I made you go back and get the moonflower." "The umbilical cord, you called it." "We walked to Casablanca through the jungle." "And then alongside the ocean." "I liked you already." "I liked you, too. You introduced me to Tamatz Kauyumari. The oldest and biggest deer." "I sang you his spirit song." "And then he led us to Theobroma cacao." "I saw Panthera onca following you through the jungle, twice." "I never should have gone to the market without you, but you were sleeping." "That's where you met the Cashier." "And found the mandrake. And cichorium intybus. The plant of invisibility.

I drank Datura inoxia and traveled with the black panther to find the antidote." "And you saw the energy lines of the trees." "How do you know?" "Because I know." "I smelled the lily of the valley, up close, but the scent of your skin is still sweeter." "Not as sweet as yours." "I danced with a rattlesnake." "There are many of those in life." "And then, under a flash of lightning, a tree caught fire and I found the bromeliad with no name." "How strange that a tree caught fire in the rain forest. It's very wet in there." "I found the plant of passion. The tenth plant." "You found it with your passion. You set the tree on fire with your passion." "I love you." "I love you, too," he said. "And that is the story of us." "It is." "It's true, then, whoever finds the nine plants really does find what they desire." "It's true." "Let's say them together." We began. "Moonflower, gloxinia, cycad, Theobroma cacao, mandrake, chicory, sinsemilla, Datura inoxia, lily of the valley, and the tenth plant. The bromeliad. The passion plant with no name.

¿Qué es lo que más estriñe? El pan blanco, los cereales refinados (pasta, arroz, etc.), la carne y las proteínas animales, el azúcar refinado, el exceso de alimentación, algunos medicamentos, el agua del grifo, las alergias a algún aditivo, una mala combinación de los alimentos, la alteración de la flora intestinal, los estimulantes, los astringentes y los vasoconstrictores (café, té negro, cacao y vino tinto). Una vida sedentaria, masticar mal o demasiado poco y una falta de enzimas digestivas son otros factores que se deben tener en cuenta.

Consume in unlimited quantities Vegetables (except potatoes and corn)—including mushrooms, herbs, squash Raw nuts and seeds—almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios, cashews, macadamias; peanuts (boiled or dry roasted); sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds; nut meals Oils—extra-virgin olive, avocado, walnut, coconut, cocoa butter, flaxseed, macadamia, sesame Meats and eggs—preferably free-range and organic chicken, turkey, beef, pork; buffalo; ostrich; wild game; fish; shellfish; eggs (including yolks) Cheese Non-sugary condiments—mustards, horseradish, tapenades, salsa, mayonnaise, vinegars (white, red wine, apple cider, balsamic), Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, chili or pepper sauces Others: flaxseed (ground), avocados, olives, coconut, spices, cocoa (unsweetened) or cacao

L'AMUSE-BOUCHE Chocolate Parmesan Tapioca with a Pan-Seared Scallop L'ENTREE Salad with Chèvre Chaud, Honey, and Mint Dressing OU Roasted Butternut Squash and Cacao Soup OU Oysters with a Mignonette Sauce LE PLAT PRINCIPAL Armagnac-and-Chocolate-Infused Daube de Bœuf à la Gascogne OU Sweet Potato Curry with Mussels OU Chocolate Pasta with a Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce LA SALADE ET LE FROMAGE Moules à la Plancha with Chorizo served over a bed of Arugula Selection of the Château's Cheeses LE DESSERT Mousse au Chocolat spiced with Pimento Chili Peppers and Chocolate Flakes, garnished with Mint I spun around on one heel, excited to get prepping. Unbeknownst to me, the rest of the kitchen staff had arrived, their jaws agape as they stared at the menu. As usual, Phillipa was the first to speak up. "That menu looks wicked incredible." "I don't know about adding hot peppers to the mousse au chocolat," said Jane, and the granny brigade nodded in agreement. I was so sick of her know-it-all attitude. I knew a thing or two and I was going to stand by my decision. "The combination has Aztec roots. To honor the fertility goddess they drank xocolāt, a chocolate concoction spiced with chili pepper and vanilla. It's delicious and unexpected." Jane rolled her eyes. "You're the chef." "I am," I said, wanting to challenge her. "And this is the menu.

DIRECT TRADE. This is a practice in which a cacao buyer works directly with the producers to negotiate a fair price and ensure that the farms are paying good wages, not using child labor, and using sustainable growing methods.

We went to Speedy Romeo, an Italian restaurant that has a pizza topped with Provel, a processed cheese popular in the Midwest that was virtually unknown in the Northeast. A Bed-Stuy B&B that hosts jazz concerts followed by fish fries in its town house parlor on weekend nights. And Cacao Prieto, a rum distillery that doubles as a beans-to-bar factory, producer of killer single origin 72 percent dark chocolate bars and rum-filled truffles.

Dona Rosàlia non avrebbe mai creduto che una prostituta si potesse suicidare per amore. Una prostituta si uccide per castigo dei suoi peccati, amen.

Tu sei 'affittato' dal coronel.." Trovai strano il termine: "La gente affitta una macchina, un mulo, tutto, ma un uomo no." "E invece in queste terre del Sud si affittano anche le persone" Il termine mi umiliava. Affittato...Ero ridotto a meno di un uomo.

[Papà] aveva girato minuziosamente una parte del mondo e amava gli oggetti vecchi e d'arte, le cose fragili e le persone deboli, tutto ciò che dava un'idea di convalescenza o di prossima fine. Da qui, forse, la sua passione per la mamma. Con la sua magrezza pallida e macilenta, sembrava un'eterna convalescente. Papà baciava le sue mani sottili piano, con molta delicatezza, temendo forse che quelle mani si potessero rompere. E rimanevano ore e ore in un lungo silenzio da innamorati che si capiscono e bastano a loro stessi.

At the Bernachon table, I stared at all the amazing flavors- espresso, orange, hazelnut, rum raisin- wondering how to choose. But it was simple: I let Denise do it. (And thank goodness. When I unwrapped my pâte d'amandine pistache chocolate bar back at the hotel, it was like inhaling vats of molten cocoa in a chocolate factory. Delicious without even taking a bite. Between the richness of the 62 percent cacao and the sweet grittiness of Sicilian pistachio paste, I thought I had ascended to chocolate heaven.)

Cacao (Theobroma cacao) Theobroma cacao, translated from the Greek to mean "food of the gods," is one plant that will never let you down. Through the good times and the bad, in times of high anxiety and too much stress, during relationship problems when it seems that all of the passion is gone, when there is no one around to talk to, or when no one will listen, understand, or believe in you, Theobroma cacao, otherwise known as chocolate, is always there to make you feel better.

Diego and I spent the next few hours extracting the podlike nuts of the chocolate tree, Theobroma cacao. He climbed the tree, which was about fifteen feet high and quite slender, and shook it until the ripe nuts fell to the ground. It was one of the strangest-looking trees I'd ever laid eyes on- tall and skinny, with huge multicolored pods hanging down off its main branches. It looked like a long brown stick with orange, yellow, red, green, pink, and purple footballs glued onto it. It was difficult for me to connect this tree and its weird pods to Nestlé Crunch bars and double-fudge ice cream on a hot summer day.

She complained there was no ‘café au lait’-colored construction paper for her skin, or ‘sixty-percent-cacao-chocolate’ color for her eyes. I remember staring at her while these words came out of her mouth, and thinking, Your skin is light brown. Your eyes are dark brown. Why don’t you just use brown, you idiot? Jay Stringer didn’t complain about the paper, and neither did any of the other ten kids using brown.

Del Potomac al río de la Plata, los esclavos edificaron la casa de sus amos, talaron los bosques, cortaron y molieron las cañas de azúcar, plantaron algodón, cultivaron cacao, cosecharon café y tabaco y rastrearon los cauces en busca de oro. ¿A cuántas Hiroshimas equivalieron sus exterminios sucesivos?