Cocoa: An Exploration of Chocolate, with Recipes, Hardcover

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.

Sue Quinn is an award-winning food writer, journalist, and cookbook author. Her articles and recipes regularly appear in the UK's leading food publications including the Telegraph, The Sunday Times, the Guardian, delicious, BBC Good Food and Sainsbury's magazines. She has written more than a dozen cookbooks on a range of topics, from Japanese and Spanish cuisine to children's cooking and healthy eating. In 2016, she won the Fortnum & Mason Online Food Writer Award.For the writing of this chocolate book, she gained a certificate in chocolate tasting and travelled to Mexico to learn about the origins and history of chocolate at its source.