At the time sugar was an unavailable product so the chocolate must have tasted rather bitter and spicy. Nevertheless, this new food soon gained popularity if not from its taste then certainly from the beliefs in its restorative properties. Such was the value of chocolate that in time, Aztec taxation was levied in cacao beans. Twelve cacao beans bought the services of a courtesan while a hundred secured you a slave. By the 1500s, chocolate had found its way to Europe thanks to the Spanish conquistadors. It quickly became a specialty food in the Spanish court and within a century, its popularity grew to encompass all of Europe.
  chocolate is synonymous with gastronomic pleasure. Its mere mention evokes expectant smiles from children and adults alike. Clearly there is something special about this food beyond its sweet taste. But what are the facts behind the food's purported psychochemical effects? To date, there have been over 300 different compounds identified in the cacao bean. Perhaps the most important of these is phenylethylamine, a stimulant that releases dopamine in the brain's pleasure centers. This chemical helps mediate feelings of excitement, giddiness, and euphoria. During orgasm for instance, the release of this chemical is at its peak; an interesting fact considering 50% of women reportedly prefer chocolate to sex.
  of turning cacao into chocolate begins with the selection of beans. Some companies use up to twelve different varieties from all over the world. Once selected, the beans are sorted by hand and then roasted. After roasting, the beans are loaded into a machine called a 'winnower', which removes the hard outer hulls and separates the nibs of the beans. The nibs are the basic product used for chocolate production. Next, the nibs are mashed into a thick paste in a machine called a 'melangeur'. Sugar and vanilla are added at this step. The chocolate paste is then transferred to the 'conch-refiner' where heat is introduced to ensure that the 'liquor' is evenly blended. After several hours, the chocolate is tempered several times by heating and cooling the liquor. This process ensures that the cocoa butter crystals are of a uniform size and gives the final product a bright luster. Finally, the chocolate is molded and packaged.
Today, chocolate comes in many forms: unsweetened, semi-sweet, bittersweet and milk chocolate. The differences depend on the percentages of chocolate liquor to cocoa butter and sugar. Milk chocolate for instance is only 10% chocolate liquor blended with milk solids. Whatever type of chocolate you end up purchasing however, make sure you store it in a cool, dry place. Avoid storing in the refrigerator. Milk chocolate will keep this way for a year. The darker varieties will keep for several years. Sometimes chocolate will develop white or gray 'clouds' on its surface. This just means that the cocoa butter has separated. While it doesn't look pretty its perfectly fine to eat.

If you're planning to use chocolate as an ingredient you'll probably be melting it. The best method to do this is with a double boiler. If the recipe calls for adding water to the chocolate make sure you add it from the beginning of the melting process. Adding even a drop of water in mid-melting will cause it to turn into a lumpy mess. Also keep in mind that chocolate melts better and faster at lower temperatures. Never let your chocolate get above 115 degrees F. Alternatively, you can melt your chocolate in an oven. Place the grated chocolate in a metal bowl and place it in an oven at 110 degrees F (if your oven doesn't go that low, use the lowest temperature and keep the door ajar).

Here in Bangkok, Mrs. Flowers is continuing in the tradition of fine chocolate making by introducing "fusion chocolate". Like many great enterprises, Mr. Tharas' business began as a hobby thirty years ago. At that time his mother, who was living in the United States, would receive gifts of Thai fruits from home. So at parties, she began experimenting by dipping the fruits into chocolate fondue. Everybody in her family loved it so upon returning to Thailand, she continued trying out new recipes with other fruits and herbs. Today, Mrs. Flowers produces its own chocolate from scratch. The key to a successful recipe, according to Mr. Tharas, is never to choose an ingredient whose natural taste or smell will overpower the subtlety of the chocolate. The flavors available now include mango, green tea, chrysanthemum, and lotus seed just to name a few.