On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao

<p><b>Take a delectable journey through the religious history of chocolate—a real treat!</b></p><p>Explore the surprising Jewish and other religious connections to chocolate in this gastronomic and historical adventure through cultures, countries, centuries and convictions. Rabbi Deborah Prinz draws from her world travels on the trail of chocolate to enchant chocolate lovers of all backgrounds as she unravels religious connections in the early chocolate trade and shows how Jewish and other religious values infuse chocolate today.</p><p>With mouth-watering recipes, a glossary of chocolaty terms, tips for buying luscious, ethically produced chocolate, a list of sweet chocolate museums around the world and more, this book unwraps tasty facts such as:</p><ul><li>Some people—including French (Bayonne) chocolate makers—believe that Jews brought chocolate making to France.</li><li>The bishop of Chiapas, Mexico, was poisoned because he prohibited local women from drinking chocolate during Mass.</li><li>Although Quakers do not observe Easter, it was a Quaker-owned chocolate company—Fry's—that claimed to have created the first chocolate Easter egg in the United Kingdom.</li><li>A born-again Christian businessman in the Midwest marketed his caramel chocolate bar as a "Noshie," after the Yiddish word for "snack."</li><li>Chocolate Chanukah gelt may have developed from St. Nicholas customs.</li><li>The Mayan “Book of Counsel” taught that gods created humans from chocolate and maize.</li></ul><p></p>

"Bravo! ... Takes us on a roller coaster roll through the history of chocolate, from the beginning when it was only used as a drink to the present day.... A great read." Joan Nathan, award-winning cookbook author, "Jewish Cooking in America; Quiches, Kugels," and "Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France"; and other books

"A joy for history and chocolate buffs.... Traces the exciting and curious aspects of the evolution of chocolate. The reader is rewarded with fascinating nuggets of chocolate lore, as well as several yummy chocolate recipes."

Carole Bloom, CCP, author, Intensely Chocolate and Truffles, Candies and Confections

Meticulously researched and whimsically presented. Fascinating facts, amusing anecdotes and mouth-watering recipes.... An instant classic for chocolate devotees of all faiths! Francine Segan, food historian, chocolate expert and James Beard nominated cookbook author of Dolci: Italy's Sweets

Yes, separate milk from meat. And wool from linen. But do not separate Jews from chocolate. They shall be yoked together for all time. And now we have the definitive book on the topic, an eloquent and astutely researched history. A.J. Jacobs, editor-at-large, "Esquire" magazine; author of the "New York Times" bestseller, "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible," and other books

This engaging journey into the extraordinary past of a much-loved product is packed with fascinating stories and thrilling bits of information. Claudia Roden, food writer and author of almost twenty classic works on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cookery; most recently, the award-winning The Book of Jewish Food

Calling all chocoholics.... I devoured this book. Readers beware! Stash fine chocolate in your pack before setting off on this delicious journey across time and space. Pamela S. Nadell, Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women s and Gender History, American University; author, "Women Who Would be Rabbis: A History of Women s Ordination, 1889 1985"

A treat! Part history, part travelogue, part cookbook, [it] ... will tantalize all readers and delight chocoholic ones. Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University

A knowledgeable, surprising and, of course, delicious book. Chocolate lovers (and that includes just about everyone) and Jewish historians alike will be delighted. Leah Koenig, author, The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook

Fascinating and entertaining ... if you re interested in Jews or chocolate, you re gonna like this book. If you re interested in both, you re gonna love it: -). Like chocolate itself wonderful as a gift, or you could just get one for you yourself. Nigel Savage, founder, Hazon: Jewish Inspiration, Sustainable Communities

A fascinating ramble through the history of chocolate and the roles sometimes central, sometimes peripheral that Jews have played in bringing it from the forests of Africa and Spanish America to your table. The recipes are a tasty bonus. David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson, authors, "A Drizzle of Honey: The Lives and Recipes of Spain s Secret Jews"

A delightful, fascinating read full of history, religion, ethics, anecdotes and recipes that will make you hungry. Paula Shoyer, author, "The Kosher Baker: 160 Dairy-Free Desserts from Traditional to Trendy""

"Bravo! ... Takes us on a roller coaster roll through the history of chocolate, from the beginning when it was only used as a drink to the present day.... A great read." Joan Nathan, award-winning cookbook author, "Jewish Cooking in America; Quiches, Kugels," and "Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France"; and other books

"A joy for history and chocolate buffs.... Traces the exciting and curious aspects of the evolution of chocolate. The reader is rewarded with fascinating nuggets of chocolate lore, as well as several yummy chocolate recipes."

Carole Bloom, CCP, author, Intensely Chocolate and Truffles, Candies and Confections

Meticulously researched and whimsically presented. Fascinating facts, amusing anecdotes and mouth-watering recipes.... An instant classic for chocolate devotees of all faiths! Francine Segan, food historian, chocolate expert and James Beard nominated cookbook author of Dolci: Italy's Sweets

Yes, separate milk from meat. And wool from linen. But do not separate Jews from chocolate. They shall be yoked together for all time. And now we have the definitive book on the topic, an eloquent and astutely researched history. A.J. Jacobs, editor-at-large, "Esquire" magazine; author of the "New York Times" bestseller, "The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible," and other books

This engaging journey into the extraordinary past of a much-loved product is packed with fascinating stories and thrilling bits of information. Claudia Roden, food writer and author of almost twenty classic works on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cookery; most recently, the award-winning The Book of Jewish Food

Calling all chocoholics.... I devoured this book. Readers beware! Stash fine chocolate in your pack before setting off on this delicious journey across time and space. Pamela S. Nadell, Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women s and Gender History, American University; author, "Women Who Would be Rabbis: A History of Women s Ordination, 1889 1985"

A treat! Part history, part travelogue, part cookbook, [it] ... will tantalize all readers and delight chocoholic ones. Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University

A knowledgeable, surprising and, of course, delicious book. Chocolate lovers (and that includes just about everyone) and Jewish historians alike will be delighted. Leah Koenig, author, The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook

Fascinating and entertaining ... if you re interested in Jews or chocolate, you re gonna like this book. If you re interested in both, you re gonna love it: -). Like chocolate itself wonderful as a gift, or you could just get one for you yourself. Nigel Savage, founder, Hazon: Jewish Inspiration, Sustainable Communities

A fascinating ramble through the history of chocolate and the roles sometimes central, sometimes peripheral that Jews have played in bringing it from the forests of Africa and Spanish America to your table. The recipes are a tasty bonus. David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson, authors, "A Drizzle of Honey: The Lives and Recipes of Spain s Secret Jews"

A delightful, fascinating read full of history, religion, ethics, anecdotes and recipes that will make you hungry. Paula Shoyer, author, "The Kosher Baker: 160 Dairy-Free Desserts from Traditional to Trendy""

When you think about foods traditionally labelled as Jewish, chocolate probably does not come to mind. Chicken soup, potato pancakes, bagels, gefilte fish all the Ashkenazi greatest hits constitute what we typically call Jewish food.

Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz begs to differ, and she makes a strong case for the chocolate Jewish connection in her book, On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao (Jewish Lights Publishing). In a volume that combines historical research with an account of her adventures following what she calls her "choco-dar" (for chocolate and radar), Rabbi Prinz examines a legacy that goes far beyond chocolate Chanukah gelt (although she devotes an interesting chapter to the much-loved gold-foil-wrapped coins: chocolate gelt, she writes, recalls the distribution of coins by the victorious Maccabees to widows, soldiers, and orphans, and the gifting of coins that figured in later Chanukah traditions. Chocolate coins emerged in more modern times.)

Yet, as Rabbi Prinz demonstrates, the chocolate Jewish connection is much broader. The book explores the role of Sephardic Jews in the chocolate trade of 16th-century Spain (where chocolate was introduced to Europe), and how, despite the Inquisition's murderous anti-semitism, Sephardic merchants contributed to the spread of chocolate in Europe and North America. It goes on to chronicle how later waves of Jewish immigrants helped shape the chocolate industry in the U.S.; the role of chocolate in World War II; and how established chocolatiers aided Jewish refugees to find a foothold here after the war. One lovely story: a Jewish survivor of the Mauthausen concentration camp received a chocolate bar from an American soldier during the liberation of the facility. As he recalled later, he grabbed it and ran to show his fellow survivors, telling them, "Hey guys, look I got a bar of chocolate. And can you imagine! The name of the chocolate is Hershel! She also tells how Jews of the Diaspora brought chocolate to Israel and established that state's chocolate industry.

Nor does Prinz stop there; she devotes several chapters to the ways that other peoples from ancient Aztecs to European Christians to Quaker Utopians have used chocolate in their religious rituals, their daily lives, and even their taboos and political intrigues. Chapters on kosher, ethically produced and traded, and environmentally sustainable chocolate; recipes; a timeline; a travel guide; and extensive notes round out the book. If there is an aspect of chocolate Rabbi Prinz hasn t covered, I can t imagine it. On the Chocolate Trail takes us on a fascinating journey.--Karen Berman"The Weiser Kitchen - Blog" (12/01/2014)"

"Bravo! ... Takes us on a roller coaster roll through the history of chocolate, from the beginning when it was only used as a drink to the present day.... A great read."
Joan Nathan, award-winning cookbook author, Jewish Cooking in America; Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France; and other books

"A joy for history and chocolate buffs.... Traces the exciting and curious aspects of the evolution of chocolate. The reader is rewarded with fascinating nuggets of chocolate lore, as well as several yummy chocolate recipes."

Carole Bloom, CCP, author, Intensely Chocolate and Truffles, Candies and Confections

Meticulously researched and whimsically presented. Fascinating facts, amusing anecdotes and mouth-watering recipes.... An instant classic for chocolate devotees of all faiths!
Francine Segan, food historian, chocolate expert and James Beard nominated cookbook author of Dolci: Italy's Sweets

Yes, separate milk from meat. And wool from linen. But do not separate Jews from chocolate. They shall be yoked together for all time. And now we have the definitive book on the topic, an eloquent and astutely researched history.
A.J. Jacobs, editor-at-large, Esquire magazine; author of the New York Times bestseller, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, and other books

This engaging journey into the extraordinary past of a much-loved product is packed with fascinating stories and thrilling bits of information.
Claudia Roden, food writer and author of almost twenty classic works on Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cookery; most recently, the award-winning The Book of Jewish Food

Calling all chocoholics.... I devoured this book. Readers beware! Stash fine chocolate in your pack before setting off on this delicious journey across time and space.
Pamela S. Nadell, Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women s and Gender History, American University; author, Women Who Would be Rabbis: A History of Women s Ordination, 1889 1985

A treat! Part history, part travelogue, part cookbook, [it] ... will tantalize all readers and delight chocoholic ones.
Jonathan D. Sarna, Joseph H. & Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University

A knowledgeable, surprising and, of course, delicious book. Chocolate lovers (and that includes just about everyone) and Jewish historians alike will be delighted.
Leah Koenig, author, The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook

Fascinating and entertaining ... if you re interested in Jews or chocolate, you re gonna like this book. If you re interested in both, you re gonna love it: -). Like chocolate itself wonderful as a gift, or you could just get one for you yourself.
Nigel Savage, founder, Hazon: Jewish Inspiration, Sustainable Communities

A fascinating ramble through the history of chocolate and the roles sometimes central, sometimes peripheral that Jews have played in bringing it from the forests of Africa and Spanish America to your table. The recipes are a tasty bonus.
David M. Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson, authors, A Drizzle of Honey: The Lives and Recipes of Spain s Secret Jews

A delightful, fascinating read full of history, religion, ethics, anecdotes and recipes that will make you hungry.
Paula Shoyer, author, The Kosher Baker: 160 Dairy-Free Desserts from Traditional to Trendy

"

When you think about foods traditionally labelled as Jewish, chocolate probably does not come to mind. Chicken soup, potato pancakes, bagels, gefilte fish all the Ashkenazi greatest hits constitute what we typically call Jewish food.

Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz begs to differ, and she makes a strong case for the chocolate Jewish connection in her book, On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao (Jewish Lights Publishing). In a volume that combines historical research with an account of her adventures following what she calls her "choco-dar" (for chocolate and radar), Rabbi Prinz examines a legacy that goes far beyond chocolate Chanukah gelt (although she devotes an interesting chapter to the much-loved gold-foil-wrapped coins: chocolate gelt, she writes, recalls the distribution of coins by the victorious Maccabees to widows, soldiers, and orphans, and the gifting of coins that figured in later Chanukah traditions. Chocolate coins emerged in more modern times.)

Yet, as Rabbi Prinz demonstrates, the chocolate Jewish connection is much broader. The book explores the role of Sephardic Jews in the chocolate trade of 16th-century Spain (where chocolate was introduced to Europe), and how, despite the Inquisition's murderous anti-semitism, Sephardic merchants contributed to the spread of chocolate in Europe and North America. It goes on to chronicle how later waves of Jewish immigrants helped shape the chocolate industry in the U.S.; the role of chocolate in World War II; and how established chocolatiers aided Jewish refugees to find a foothold here after the war. One lovely story: a Jewish survivor of the Mauthausen concentration camp received a chocolate bar from an American soldier during the liberation of the facility. As he recalled later, he grabbed it and ran to show his fellow survivors, telling them, "Hey guys, look I got a bar of chocolate. And can you imagine! The name of the choco...