Think of chocolate and you think of Belgium, Switzerland, France. Or your thighs. But chocolate originated with the Aztecs and Mayans, to whom it was the nearest thing to a standard currency. Tributes and purchases were made in single 'nibs' or pods containing the beans. With a tree so valuable, serious rituals would take place before seeds to grown them were sown, to ensure the future health of the bush. For four days and nights they were exposed to  moonlight and, according to 19th century historian, H.H. Bancroft, the tillers of the soil had to 'sleep apart from their wives and concubines for several days, in order that on the night before planting they might indulge their passions to the fullest extent.'

This may explain why chocolates symbolize Romance - though more scientifically you could point to the presence in chocolate of phenylethylamine, the same chemical stimulated naturally in the brain by falling in love.

When Columbus presented it to the court of King Ferdinand on his return from his travels, it wasn't a success, probably because it was drunk highly spiced and sugarless, the Aztec and Mayan way. But 17 years later, in 1519, Cortes tried again, having slaughtered Montezuma who had introduced him to the drink. This time, the Spaniards added two other New World discoveries - sugar and vanilla, making 'xocoatl' so much more palatable it quickly became the rage in fashionable society.

In 18th century England, Sir Hans Sloane, personal physician to Queen Anne, along with diaryist Samuel Pepys, promoted its medicinal properties, encouraging the making of it with milk instead of water. But only in 1828 did Dutchman Coenraad J. Van Houten invent a press that could extract two thirds of the bean's 53% fat content, leaving a cake of powdered cocoa. Two decades on, the English confectionery firm of Joseph Fry added sugar and chocolate liquor from the roasted bean of the cocoa (the word the English found easier than 'cacao' to pronounce) to the extracted cocoa butter, making the first edible chocolate.

When cooking with chocolate, always try to use chocolate with no less than 70% cocoa butter or cocoa solids. Chocolate with less produces a far less intense flavor and an exaggerated sweetness, sugar being substituted for cocoa solids in order to promote taste. The chips and blocks sold in general supermarkets don't contain as high a content and you will have to seek out supplies at specialist stores, like Dean & DeLuca and Balducci's. But it's worth the effort and the extra cost.

The difference between American and European chocolates lies in the amount of cocoa butter and sugar they contain. Also, butter and creams have a higher fat content in Europe, and alcohol is added in some fillings to bring out flavor - a practice banned in 36 American states which restrict the use of alcohol in candy.

Godiva chocolates in the U.S. are not entirely the same as the brand's chocolates made in Europe. Here they are made locally in the US at their Reading, PA, factory according to American regulations and tastes. Which means, for instance, no alcohol to comply with some states' rulings, though alcohol used in miniscule proportions is a key ingredient in stabilizing some of the recipes.