ANST - English breakfasts and other questionable things

[Decker, Terry D.]

Sorry, but Elizabeth's love of chocolate falls under the heading of
apocryphal tale.  Mary Tudor would be more likely, since she married into
the Spanish Royal family.  It is possible that Elizabeth may have been
introduced to chocolate by the Spanish ambassadors, but there is no
historical evidence of which I am aware to support the claim.

The earliest it could have reached Europe is 1527 with the return of
Cortez's expedition.  The earliest written reference is to a chocolate
grinder in the 1554 novel, Lazarillo des Tormes, which suggests that the
Spanish nobility were drinking chocolate at that time.  The first recipe
appears in 1631 in Spain and a translation of this work (1652) is the first
known English reference to chocolate.  

While chocolate may have been in general use in Spain by 1580, it does not
appear to have made much impact on other European countries until the 17th
Century.  The 1580 date is supported by records of cacao beans being taken
as part of the tribute from the Zoque (Aztecan) Indians in 1579.

For a period cup of chocolate, Reay Tannahill's Food In History provides the
following:

"In Spain by 1631, the preparation of a cup of chocoalate had become a major
operation. 'For every hundred cocoa beans, mix 
two pods of chili or Mexican pepper...or, failing those, two Indian
peppercorns, a handful of aniseed, two of those flowers 
known as "little ears" or *vinacaxtlides,* and two of those known as
*mesasuchil*...Instead of the latter one could include the powder of the six
roses of Alexaundria [an apothecaries' formula]... a little pod of logwood
[a dye], two drachmas of cinnamon, a dozen almonds and as many hazelnuts,
half a pound of sugar, and enought arnotto [a dye] to give color to the
whole.'" 

Or to swipe a more modern-looking ingredient list from Stefan's Florilegium:

700 cocoa beans 
1 1/2 lbs. white sugar 
2 ozs of cinnamon 
14 long red peppers 
1/2 oz of clove 
3 cods of logwood or Campeche tree - similar to fennell or instead use the
weight of 2 reals (or a shilling) of anniseeds as much Achiote to give it
the color of hazelnut 

Enjoy,

Bear


> What about chocolate??? In at least one referece HRM 
> Elizabeth was said to
> be addicted to hot chocolate, without sweetners of course, 
> they are more
> modern. Of course if I'm wron in this I'm sure our wonderful 
> Baric will let
> me know, won't you Bear?????
> 
> Maleah
> 
> > Only after the 17th Century.
> >
> > Bear
> >
> > > Forget the kippers! Where is the tea??? You simply
> > > cannot have a proper English breakfast without
> > > darjeeling or earl grey tea, my lords. :O)
> > >
> > > Eleanor Mary Elizabeth Cleavely
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