Monday, August 24, 2009

Brillat-Savarin and the Wonders of Hot Chocolate

Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin (1755-1826) gained fame as an epicure and gastronome. He was given part of the credit for founding food writing. The TV Servies "Iron Chef" has made the following quote of his even more famous.
"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are."

It is good to see from the following quotes that he had a high regard for the wonders of hot chocolate and had high regard for its healthy properties.
"If any Man has drunk a little too deeply from the cup of physical pleasure; if he has spent too much time at his desk that should have been spent asleep; if his fine spirits have temporarily become dulled; if he finds the air too damp, the minutes too slow, and the atmosphere too heavy to withstand... let him be given a good pint of amber-flavored chocolate"

“People who habitually drink chocolate enjoy unvarying health, and are least attacked by a host of little illnesses which can destroy the true joy of living.”

"Chocolate... is above all helpful to people who must do a great deal of mental work, to those who labor in the pulpit or the courtroom, and especially to travelers."

The following couple of quote come from his "The Physiology of Taste" published in 1825.
“The Spanish ladies of the New World are madly addicted to chocolate, to such a point that, not content to drink it several times each day, they even have it served to them in church.”

“When you have breakfasted well and fully, if you will drink a big cup of chocolate at the end you will have digested the whole perfectly three hours later, and you will still be able to dine..Because of my scientific enthusiasm and the sheer force of my eloquence I have persuaded a number of ladies to try this, although they were convinced it would kill them; they have always found themselves in fine shape indeed, and have not forgotten to give the Professor his rightful due.”

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Anthelme_Brillat-Savarin, http://www.azuralive.com/2008/03/cocoa-on-the-ct.html, http://www.foodreference.com/html/qchocolate.html

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