Cocoa: An Exploration of Chocolate, With Recipes

by Sue Quinn

Chocolate has beguiled us for centuries. From the spiced drinks sipped by the nobility in ancient Mexico to the artisan bars filled with weird and wonderful flavor combinations we devour today, chocolate has always had a magical pull on our senses. Exotic, indulgent, hedonistic and sensual, its power over us somehow exceeds the sum of its parts. This ground-breaking exploration of chocolate, by award-winning writer and lifelong cocoa enthusiast Sue Quinn, will intrigue, inspire, surprise and fascinate you in equal measure. In these pages is a wealth of cultural, historical, and culinary information about the story of chocolate through the ages and across the world, illustrated with vintage packaging, iconic advertisements, and stunning illustrations. Interspersed throughout the book are 80 sweet and savory recipes to tantalize the taste buds, such as Salted Caramel and Lime Chocolate Sauce; Triple Chocolate and Liquorice Cake with Treacle Praline; Spelt, Chocolate and Cranberry Crackers; and Coffee, Chocolate and Chipotle-Glazed Beef Short Ribs.

Genres: Cookbooks

256 pages, Hardcover

Published March 26, 2019

Reviews

[Jessica Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cocoa may be the most thorough exploration of chocolate ever. This book covers the science, history, and sociology of chocolate- if you want to know something about chocolate, it’s probably in here. I learned that the lower quality chocolate we have today was invented for the military so the soldiers could have chocolate that didn’t melt so easily. Also did you know women are more likely to crave chocolate… in America? Advertising in this country has led us to believe that women love their chocolate but in other countries it’s loved equally by both sexes or even preferred by men! And my final, most upsetting fact- Cocoa can only be harvested by hand so a lot of slavery is involved and with all the loopholes we have for labeling things in America, there’s no way to know whether your chocolate was produced by slaves. I found it interesting that in both this book and The Secret Lives of Groceries, the authors said that lower food prices are often the result of slave labor. This is why I’m so skeptical of politicians who promise cheaper groceries.
But I digress… this book was great! I learned a ton and felt like a real chef making such fancy dishes.
🍫
Here’s what I made:
🍌 Brown Butter, Banana and Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies- these blew my mind. One banana in 48 cookies and somehow the banana flavor was intense in the best way. Did not taste like tahini… it just gave banana bread with cookie texture.
🥩 Sticky Slow-Roasted Beef Short Ribs with Cocoa and Maple- oh my word. I couldn’t believe this sauce. Rich, velvety, and somehow made the meat taste more meaty? Tasted like expensive restaurant food.
🍯 Chocolate Mousse with Sesame Honeycomb and Olive Oil- I admit I did not like the sesame honeycomb candy. BUT sesame honeycomb candy combined with dark dark chocolate mousse is exquisite! Perfect combination. I added way more before I ate it.
☕️ Mexican Hot Chocolate- ah, so this is what Abuelita should really taste like! I loved the flavors of the almond, cinnamon, and brown sugar in my drink

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. This is a wonderfully researched history of chocolate; I learned a lot and I feel like I need to buy “fancy” brands now, to try.

So as a history book, it’s great. As a cookbook, it’s…very British. And I say that as an Anglophile, with love, haha. Some flavour combos that don’t make sense to me (marmalade, prunes, herbs, etc). The recipes also do that thing where the U.S. baking terms are defined in parenthesis after the U.K. words, which sometimes feels needlessly silly. Maybe that’s just me being quirky and picky. There are very creative ideas, and even some savory applications of cocoa, which are unfamiliar to me.

I’m also docking a star because not everything has a photo, one of my pet peeves.

I did flag a few things to try, and this cookbook lives on my shelf, so I’ll try and update if I make any. Here are the most notable picks—Rye Chocolate Brownie & Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches; Brown Butter, Banana, & Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies; Chocolate, Chili, & Lime Cornbread; Earl Grey Tea Loaf with Chocolate Chunks

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful. Broad anthology of history, manufacturing; all
aspects of cocoa. The recipes are much more interesting.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book. Tons of history and background information about anything to do with chocolate. Many recipes I want to try, once I own a copy (the library wants theirs back).