The color of love is ...chocolate!

MANILA, Philippines - Red may be the color for today – being both Valentine’s Day and the first day of the Lunar New Year – but it isn’t the only color that expresses love and good fortune.

Chocolate is the original food for the gods, since chocolate comes from the cacao tree – Theobroma Cacao, “food of the gods.”

And since the time of the ancient Mayans and Aztecs over 1,400 years ago, man has appreciated this divine food in many forms – as a drink, as syrup, savory or sweet, as indulgence and even as health food. No wonder chocolates have become such a popular token of love and esteem!

The Peninsula hotels worldwide have established a reputation for fine chocolates, and in the Philippines, Peninsula Chocolates are made by a very special group of people – the Chocolate Girls of The Pen. These hearing-impaired confectioners of The Peninsula Manila are skilled high school graduates of the Philippine School for the Deaf and the National Education Center who are quick at learning their assignments and whose physical disabilities contribute rather than interfere with the quality of their work.

In keeping with this fine tradition of chocolates, The Peninsula Manila is holding an incredible three-day chocolate overload, the Chocolatissimo Festival from Feb. 19 to 21. Our “Pen friends” have compiled a list of choco-trivia that will make your enjoyment of this “food of the gods” even more enjoyable. Read on…  

The only way to become an accomplished chocolate taster is to taste a lot of chocolates.

The Swiss consume more chocolate per capita than any other nation on earth. That’s 22 pounds each compared to 11 pounds per person in the United States.

While coffee pairs well with chocolates, it deadens your sense of taste.

The amount of caffeine in chocolate is lower than most people think. A 1.4 ounce piece of milk chocolate contains about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of decaffeinated coffee. There is an average of 6 mg. of caffeine in both an ounce of milk chocolate and a cup of decaffeinated coffee, while a cup of regular coffee contains between 65 and 150 mg. of caffeine.

The fruits of the cacao tree, which take the form of pods, are very colorful – from bright red to lemon yellow.

On average, cacao trees yield five to six pounds of cocoa beans each year.

Cacao pulp is very tasty and in Ecuador is used to make frozen smoothies.

It is possible to ferment cocoa pulp to cocoa wine (but it tastes nothing like chocolate).

Research indicates that dark chocolate, like red wine, contains substantial amounts of flavonoid phenolics which may lower the risk of heart disease.

Once upon a time, money did grow on trees. Cocoa beans were used as currency by the Mayan and Aztec civilizations over 1,400 years ago. When they had too much money to spend, they brewed the excess into hot chocolate drinks.

Christopher Columbus was the first European to come across the cacao beans, on his fourth voyage to the New World (1502), but he virtually ignored them.

It was Hernan Cortez, the Spanish conquistador of the Aztec empire, who brought the wondrous bean to Europe as a gift to the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.

Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, would drink cup after cup of xocoatl – a liquid so prestigious that it was served in golden goblets that were thrown away after one use. The word “chocolate” comes from the Aztec word “xocolatl,” which means “bitter water.”

Chocolate wasn’t very popular at first, not until the Spaniards added water and cane sugar (another New World import) and heated the brew, then it became a favored drink of Spain’s nobility. It was not until much later, with the advent of hand manufacturing methods, that it was made available to a wider circle of people.

During the 16th century, members of the clergy particularly enjoyed drinking chocolate as it eased the fasts they were prone to subject themselves to.

In April 4, 1828, Coenraad Johannes Van Houten took out a patent for his newly invented cocoa press, which extracted the cocoa butter from the chocolate liquor, leaving behind powdered cocoa.

It was only around 1848, when cocoa butter and sugar were added to a paste of ground cocoa beans, that “eating chocolate” came on the scene.

Rumor has it that Napoleon carried chocolate with him on all his military campaigns for a quick energy snack.

In 1875, the Swiss developed a way to make solid milk chocolate. New machines were developed to stir, or conche, the liquid chocolate, in the process vastly improving its smoothness.

Chocolate syrup was used to represent blood in the famous 45-second shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “Psycho,” a scene which took seven days to shoot.

Indulge in a chocolate overdose this week at the Chocolatissimo Festival, featuring delicacies and desserts from renowned Felchlin Switzerland corporate pastry chef Anil Rohira.

The Chocolatissimo Festival highlights include:

Chocolate Magic at Old Manila on Feb. 19, Friday, 7 pm, a six-course chocolate theme dinner, specially paired wines, created by the tandem of The Peninsula Manila executive chef Adam Mathis and Felchlin pastry chef Anil Rohira. Guests will receive a special gift.

Chocolate Indulgence, a Peninsula Academy cooking class with Felchlin pastry chef Rohira on Feb. 20, Saturday, 9 am to noon. Lunch included, plus a personalized chef’s jacket, an apron and a surprise gift.

Chocolate Madness, The Lobby Chocolate Buffet on Feb. 20, Saturday, from 8 pm to midnight. This is a guaranteed chocolate overload.

The Ultimate Chocolate and Champagne Sunday Brunch Buffet on Feb. 21, Sunday, 11:30 am to 2:30 pm at Escolta.

Go ahead, get a taste of the divine at The Peninsula Manila Chocolatissimo Festival. Call The Peninsula Manila at 887-2888, ext. 6694 (restaurant reservations) or visit website peninsula.com.