February
14th is named after the patron saint, St. Valentine, and we
celebrate this day with the exchange of candy, flowers,
cards, and gifts as a token of affection to our loved ones.
The history of this day is very sketchy but it does appear
to derive from Christian and Roman traditions. The
story I like dates from the third century when Rome was
ruled by the Emperor Claudius II. The Emperor outlawed
marriages for young men as he felt single men made better
soldiers than men who were married. A priest, named
St. Valentine, didn't agree with the Emperor and married
young lovers in secret. When the Emperor discovered
what St. Valentine was doing, he sentenced him to death.
While St. Valentine was in prison, waiting to be put
to death, he met and fell in love with the jailor's
daughter. Before he died he sent her a love letter and
signed it "From your Valentine". This expression is
still used today and St. Valentine is now best remembered as
a romantic and heroic figure.
This
tale reaffirms our desire to romantically celebrate
Valentine's Day. And chocolate, with its aura of being
an aphrodisiac, becomes the perfect gift to give or receive from our
mate. So strong was the Aztec's belief of chocolate's
power as
an aphrodisiac that their emperor, Montezuma, used to drink
upwards of 50 cups of chocolate per day. It also
became very popular in Spain when Hernando Cortés
brought it back from his voyage to the New World in the 16th
century. Aristocratic ladies loved to start their
mornings with a cup of chocolate and would even instruct
their servants to bring them a cup during Mass.
continued below
To
welcome this Valentine's Day why not start the morning as
Montezuma did, with a cup of hot chocolate. Whether you make it with just milk or with a combination of
milk and coffee, it is delicious tasting and will leave you
with a warm glow.
Since
this is a day of chocolate, below I offer several chocolate
desserts, and a few without, that would be excellent after
your evening meal, ranging from the ever popular Molten
Chocolate Cakes to Chocolate Truffles.
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