Chocolate
Production:
Chocolate begins as a yellow fruit pod dangling from the tropical Cacao tree.  After the pods ripen, the beans are scooped out and placed in the sun for several days to dry and ferment.  They are then cleaned, dried, cured, and roasted to develop flavor and reduce bitterness.

Next the beans are crushed to remove the shells, yielding the prized chocolate Nib.  The nibs are crushed into a thick paste known as chocolate liquor or chocolate mass. Chocolate mass contains 53% fat known as cocoa butter.
The chocolate mass is further refined depending on the desired product.

If cocoa powder is to be produced, virtually all the cocoa butter is removed.

Most manufactures of fine chocolate use the Swiss technique of conching to increase smoothness. Conching involves stirring large vats of blended chocolate with a heavy granite roller or paddle to smooth sugar crystals and mellow the flavor, a process that may last 12 hours to 3 days.

Tasting Chocolate:
Chocolate quality is actually the product of several factors besides flavor.  All these factors should be evaluated when selecting chocolates.

• Appearance – color should be even and glossy, without any distortion.
• Smell – should be chocolaty with no off-odor or staleness.
• Break – should snap cleanly without crumbling.
• Texture – should melt quickly and evenly on the tongue.

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Popularity: 1%

Cuisine of Southern Mexico:
Sopa de lima / lime soup
Arroz Blanco Con Verduras / White rice with vegetables
Pollo Pibil/ Chicken baked in banana leaves
Corn Tortillas
Panuchos / fish filled corn dough
Tamulada sauce
Jericayas

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Popularity: 3%

You want the very best that life has to offer, from fancy cars to first class travel to million-dollar homes.  While these things are simply not in the budget for the average Joe, you can certainly have the best of everything (or a reasonable facsimile) when you sit down to eat each night.  Budget gourmet may sound a bit dicey, but I can assure you, it does not include items like pâté du Spam or canned tuna Fiorentina.  You also won’t be rushing out for foie gras or beluga caviar, but you can have your gourmet cake and eat it too if you understand how to cook for a king, even when you’re eating on a budget.

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Popularity: 6%

Compared to the United States as a whole, California has a relatively young cuisine, the foundation of which is innovation.  The third largest state in America and with the largest population, it has a wide variety of microclimates and geography, making it well suited for growing and raising foods of all kinds  Agriculture is the core of the state’s economy and California produces more crops than any other state.  Home to the largest irrigation systems built in America, farmers even in the most remote deserts have the opportunity to raise and harvest valuable crops.
California cuisine takes advantage of the region’s abundant natural resources.  With the wide variety of fresh produce and vast grazing land for livestock, obtaining fresh, local, seasonal ingredients is easy.  The inclination toward a healthy lifestyle has also encouraged the development of California cuisine.  Foods grown and harvested naturally, prepared simply, and without preservatives and fats, along with the constant flood of aspiring chefs bringing their culinary heritage, have assured California has its share of creativity with regard to food and food-related products.

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Popularity: 6%