The Art Of Chocolate

In countries located close to the equator, some very special plants known as tropical cacao trees grow. These trees produce cacao beans which, when ground and roasted, create unadulterated liquid chocolate.

Chocolate was originally consumed by ancient South American civilisations such as the Mayans and Aztecs. Its name is derived from the Aztec word xocolatl, meaning bitter and water. Cacao beans were ground to a powder and different ingredients, such as water, wine, honey, spices and even chilli, were added. So, over two millennia ago, people were drinking many different flavours of liquid chocolate.

In the burial sites of aristocrats at a Mayan archaeological site in Central America, scientists discovered a collection of ceramic jugs similar to teapots. Residue inside the jugs was analysed in laboratories and minute traces of cocoa were uncovered. As the ceramic vessels were scientifically dated as 2600 years ago, this find proved humans had a love affair with chocolate drink, it is possible that the Maya had similar tastes. They would agitate that liquid chocolate by pouring it back and forth from one jug to another, creating a chocolatey foam which was drunk as an accomplished to most meals. 

The first solid chocolate was produced in 1847 by a British chocolate company, Fries. The cacao beans were dried and separated into the two substances they produce, cocoa solids and cacao butter, which were then mixed with sugar. Varying combinations of the cocoa solids and butter result in the different quality and blends of chocolate, ranging from slightly bitter dark chocolate (with 70% cocoa solids and butter) to white chocolate, which contains only the cocoa butter combined with sugar and milk solids. As white chocolate lacks cocoa solids, some countries do not recognise it as chocolate at all!!

Scientists and chocolate companies have debated the health benefits of chocolate for years and their discoveries, whether positive or negative, often lead to sensationalised newspaper headlines. But it is really good for us?

Although it may only contain small amounts of caffeine, an ingredient found in coffee and some soft drinks which increase your heart rate, chocolate does contain another chemical, theobromine, which has a similar effect on the body. Most scientists agree that, like caffeine, chocolate is a stimulant which has an amazing ability to trick the brain to release a chemical which makes us feel more alert. Some studies have shown that melting chocolate in your mouth can alter your mood and make you feel more relaxed. 

It is often suggested that consuming small amounts of dark chocolate regularly is beneficial to one’s health. Dark chocolate contains antioxidants, which neutralise the chemicals in our body that cause heart attacks. Of course, chocolate should only be eaten in moderation due to its high-fat content. Consuming large amounts can cause obesity, which, along with many other health risks, increases the chance of a heart attack.

Life in 1347 Europe

You live in a village outside a town. As a peasant, you belong to the group in society that works on the land. Ninety per cent of the population are peasants. Another group are the nobles. Their job is to defend people. A third group is a clergy. Their job is to pray and care for Christians.

You have never travelled far, not even to the next village which is 8 km away. Your social life revolves around your own village and market days in town. You speak in a language and accent that only people from your own area can understand.

The world consists of Europe and fringes of Asia. You have never heard of such a place as New Zealand. Or America. For a long time, the Church has taught that the Earth is flat. Although some educated people are starting to say that the Earth is round, you still think that if you sailed far enough, you would come to the edge of the world and fall into a bottomless pit.

There is no education for you. A school was started in town once but the teacher was ignorant and used a birch all day to keep order. So you can not read or write. The only books available anyway are those the monks in the nearby abbey have copied by hand. Some of these books are illuminated with brightly coloured drawings. Drawings and wood-cuts have a little perspective. This means, for example, that the people in them might be bigger than the buildings and ships they are standing beside.

The houses in town are crammed together in narrow streets. Many families keep animals. The town has walls around it. At night the gates are locked and guarded. Wealthy townhouses have servants, and apprentices who sleep in them. People collect their water from wells or the river. Messengers carry letters and town criers shout out the latest news. At least once a week the town has a market. Your family can rent a stall and sell any spare produce.

The Lord owns the land on which your family works. There are almost a hundred servants living in the lord's castle. The family dresses in silks and has banquets. Even the females ride horses and hunt with falcons. One of the daughters had a marriage arranged for her when she was a child. She had been widowed two times by the time she was thirteen.

You live in a hovel. It is a single storey wooden house with two rooms. It has a thatch roof. Straw covers the floor. You eat porridge for breakfast, bread with maybe a bit of cheese for lunch and pottage for dinner. Your mother cooks over an open fire. She makes your bread at home and bakes it in the oven owned by the lord. You wear simple homespun clothes of linen and wool and a hood like a cowl. There are no fences or hedges on the land. The open fields are divided into strips. Each family is allowed a certain number of strips in different fields. This way every family gets strips of land in the good and bad areas and shares the jobs.

You call yourself a Christian. You think that non-Christians are infidels and Jews especially should be persecuted. The Pope is your spiritual leader. He lives in Avignon in France. Your village has its own church. The priest can make you go to church. If you refuse, the priest can get a special church court to punish you. The priest collects a tithe from your family. This is a tenth of everything that you produce from the land in one year.

The nearby cathedral and abbey have collections of relics. They are clothes and bones thought to have belonged to saints. Many people say these relics can work miracles. You plan one day to visit these shrines and believe that God will reward you for doing this.

You will be lucky to live past your thirties. Many children die at birth. You hardly ever have a bath. You sleep in the same room as the rest of the family. There is a communal family bed for most members of your family. You have no idea why you get sick. You are frightened of lepers even though they are not allowed to go into inns or bake-houses and are not allowed to wash in streams or walk on narrow footpaths. Every time you hear a bell or a clacker warning you that a leper is approaching, you run away and hide. Last year the city of London passed a law that said lepers are not allowed to go into London. You think this is a good idea.

Conditions all around you are unsanitary. Filth and rubbish are often left in the streets of the town. There are open street sewers. The public latrines have a bad smell. The castle and wealthy townhouses have privies that jut out from an outside wall. There is a hole in the bottom which lets waste fall into the river or the ditch. Some townhouses have cesspools in the backyard. The cesspools always smell bad and some of them seep into the wells and the river where you get your drinking water. Household urinals drain into street sewers. A law says privies cannot do this but it is often ignored. The abbey's latrine is in a separate building.

Last time you went to town, a baker who had sold underweight bread was in the stocks and a fishmonger who had been selling bad fish was in the pillory. You threw mud and rotten apples at them. A man who had been found drunk was having to walk through the streets wearing a barrel. But the best sight is when a nagging woman or ‘scold' is put in the ducking stool and ducked in the village pond. There is an outlaw living in the forest nearby. If he goes into a church he will find sanctuary and his enemies will not be able to touch him. But eventually, his hunger and thirst will drive him out.

Melodrama

What is a theatre green room? A green room is a space in a theatre that functions as a waiting room and lounge for performers before and after a performance or show when they are not on  stage

What is a proscenium arch theatre?  

A proscenium arch theatre is a vertical plane of space in a theatre usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch and on the bottom by the stage floor itself, which serves as the frame into which the audience observes from a more or less.

Pita pockets

 

Welcome back to another blog today in food class we made pita pockets and they were a very easy and delicious recipe.

Ingredients

Pita bread 

1 carrot 

3 slices of ham 

mayonnaise

chilly sauce

a quarter of an onion   

1 slice of cheese 

I think my group worked pretty well we didn't get distracted and we all played a part in making them and cleaning up.

Diffusion experiment

Diffusion experiment  

Hello and welcome back to another blog today in chemistry we learnt about particle theory and diffusion.

Equipment-Petri dish, water, tweezer, a powder potassium permanganate 

Diffusion is when particles moving high too, low concentration.spread across an area diffusion occurs in liquids and gasses.

Aim- To see if it diffuses faster in hot or cold water.

Method-

1. Half fill your petri dish with cold tap water 
2. Place the petri dish on your work bench and allow the water to become settled.
3. Using the tweezers, place a single powder of potassium permanganate in the centre of the petri dish.
4. Observe for 5 minutes.
5. Repeat the experiment using hot water

Results:

In cold water- The potassium permangonate slowly spread around.

In hot water- The potassium permangonate spread faster than when it was in cold water.

 

Word art

hello and welcome back to another blog post and today in food class we made a word art about safety, food safety, and hygiene.

Here is my word art:

Medieval times!

Welcome back to another blog today in Hur 3 we made a pyramid on medieval times about the king, the nobles, knights and peasants here is my pyramid. 

Whats the matter?

Hello, viewers welcome back to another blog today in chemistry we learnt about matter and we all had to make a slide show about it me Khush and Keadun were in a group. here is our slide show. 

Chocolate chip cookies

 Chocolate chip cookies! 

Hello and welcome back to another blog yesterday in food class we made chocolate chip cookies I recomend  trying this recipe at home.

Recipe:

100g Butter 

1/2 cups Chelsea white sugar 

1/2 cups Chelsea soft brown sugar 

1 egg

1tsp vanilla essence 

1 1/2 cups flour 

pinch of salt 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cups chocolate chips 

Method: Melt Butter, And Add Both Sugars And Cream Them Together. Beat In The Eggs And Vanilla Then In The Dry Ingredients. Roll Into Medium-Sized Balls, Making Sure The Mature Is Not Too Wet! Put On A Well Greased  Baking Tray. They Shouldn't Spread Too Much So Flatten Slightly. Bake At 180 Degrees For 8-10 Minutes.

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