Off the Shelf: 'Chocolate' by Mort Rosenblum

(Off the Shelf is a series of book overviews, not reviews, that provides a synopsis of the book plus some of the more interesting tidbits gleaned from the book.)

"Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light" by Mort Rosenblum

In this book, Rosenblum digs into a subject near and dear to the hearts of many: Chocolate. From the Mayans and Aztecs, to the French, to the Ivory Coast, the author provides in-depth looks at some of the people who are a part of the worldwide chocolate trade.

A few of the chapters weren't as interesting to me, including the chapter about some French chocolatiers, but I did at least scan over them.

But there were a few of the chapters that were really intriguing and offered some insight on chocolate. The chapters delving into the history of chocolate in North and South America and its transfer to Western Europe were informative about the Mayan and Aztecs. Also, the chapter about cacao growing in the Ivory Coast was a good read, too, and discussed accusations about slave trade in the chocolate industry in that country.

Fun facts:

• Godiva Chocolatier is owned by Campbell Soup Co.
• mole (pronounced mo-lay), which I had thought was a chicken dish with a chili-based sauce and chocolate, actually called for wild Mexican turkey when it was first made