Chocolate: Sweet Science & Dark Secrets of the World’s Favorite Treat

Frydenborg (Wild Horse Scientists) examines the considerable impact, both good and bad, that chocolate and the cacao tree have had and continue to have on cultures around the globe in this wide-ranging treatment of the subject. Primarily a chronological history of the tropical plant and its deliciously addictive by-products, the fascinating, fast-moving narrative also delves into the socioeconomic, scientific, and culinary importance of the cacao bean. Recipes, from Aztec foaming chocolate to Toll House cookies, conclude many of the 13 chapters, which include “Tree of Myth and Money” and “Candy, Food, or Medicine?” A full-color insert includes photos of the tree itself and modern-day Peruvian cacao farmers, as well as reproductions of artwork depicting Mesoamerican people and events touched by chocolate. With a rise in social justice, sustainable food sourcing, and global warming, the author considers how the crop might benefit the Amazonian rainforest and its native peoples: “Could chocolate be the key to preserving this precious, threatened ecosystem and to helping people whose livelihood depends on it?” A bibliography, website list, and time line conclude this expansive chocolate primer. Ages 12–up. (Apr.)■