Decadent Chocolate Recipes

Before diving into your favourite chocolate Easter Egg have you ever taken a moment to wonder where Easter Eggs actually originate from? And no, I’m not talking about your nearest supermarket selling a mass production of chocolate Easter gifts but rather the origin of Easter and why we give Easter Eggs as gifts to one another?

Easter is commonly believed to be a Christian festival where the death of Jesus is remembered and His resurrection is celebrated, however delve a bit deeper into the history of Easter and we discover an earlier association with pagan rituals and the pagan rights of spring. The name Easter comes from a pagan figure called Eastre (or Eostre) who was celebrated as the goddess of spring by the Saxons of Northern Europe. A festival called Eastre was held during the spring equinox by the Saxons to honour her. The goddess Eastre’s earthly symbol was the rabbit, which was also known as a symbol of fertility.

When the Saxons came to Britain in the 5th century they brought this Eastre festival which included re-birth and fertility rituals involving eggs, chicks and rabbits with them. Christianity gradually replaced the indigenous religion of the English Saxons around the 7th and 8th centuries and the Saxons began celebrating the death and the resurrection of Jesus. The death and resurrection took place at the feast of Passover in the Jewish calendar which coincided with Eostre, so that’s what the early church in Britain called the celebration, Eostre or Easter in modern English.

As well as adopting the pagan festival of Eostre, the Egg, representing fertility and re-birth in pagan times, was also adopted as part of the early Christian Easter festival and it came to represent the ‘resurrection’ or re-birth of Jesus after His death on the cross. In the UK and Europe, the earliest Easter eggs were painted and decorated, a practice still carried on in many parts of the world today. As time passed by, the first chocolate Easter eggs appeared in Germany and France in the early 1800′s and soon spread to the rest of Europe. The first chocolate eggs were solid and they were soon followed by hollow eggs.  By the 20th Century, the moulded Chocolate Easter Egg was fast becoming the Easter gift of choice in the UK and many parts of Europe, and by the 1960′s it was well established worldwide.

Today you can find almost any Easter Egg of your choice, from the first mass-produced chocolate Easter Egg manufacturer Cadbury to your favourite organic Easter Egg chocolate gifts. So no matter what your chocolate Easter Egg preference or beliefs of the origins of Easter are, we can all agree that Easter is a time to celebrate and enjoy the festivities that surround this weekend.

Paul Nel writes on behalf of a company. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
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  Belgian chocolate, can we eat too much? Chocolate, especially dark chocolate is a great antioxidant. On the other hand there is no denying that it is very high in calories. It is also a great source of energy. The fact that it is great for our health and a high energy health food tells me that it is impossible to eat too much. Here are some reasons I believe that to be true.
           

             We always here that everything in life should be done in moderation. Moderation being defined as freedom from excess. The opposite of freedom from is freedom of. So we can pretty much do what we want and as much as we want. Point number one being moderation is a personal choice. In fact the whole point of this story is to get people to make their own choice as to how much is too much.

             Dark chocolate is good for us, and belgian chocolate is the best. But the opposite of  good is bad, right. The only thing bad about eating dark chocolate is the worry people associate with eating too much. The one thing that takes the joy from life is worry. Worry causes stress and stress can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Worry also causes people to be nervous. When people get nervous they eat and consume more calories. Relax eat and enjoy the taste of chocolate, you will know when you have had too much. Point number two, don’t worry and you won’t eat too much!

             We certainly don’t want to do anything that will cause us to gain weight. Even worse no one wants to be fat, right. I believe diet books and other weight loss programs are selling faster then Super Bowl tickets. The problem is metabolism not chocolate, we need to eat right and exercise. Dark chocolate gives us energy which is what we need to be able to exercise. Without energy we can’t even stand to our feet. Point number three it doesn’t matter how many calories we consume. What matters is how many calories we burn off. Another reason we can’t eat too much dark chocolate.

               Now to the mental part of chocolate. I don’t want to go too deep into this because that is a whole story in itself. But is a fact that belgian chocolate relaxes us and improves our mood. When our spirit is low we don’t do anything but sit around feeling depressed. Depression causes us to sit around feeling sorry for ourselves. Point number four eating chocolate improves our disposition, which improves our quality of life. Another reason we can’t eat too much dark chocolate!

              
               In conclusion can we eat too much belgian chocolate?  The way I look at it the answer is no. We should use common sense, moderation or whatever you want to call it. That goes without saying on anything in this life. But the real point is in the fact that dark chocolate gives us energy to exercise and play. The things that make life fun. Improves our mood so we feel good about ourselves. With all of this good how can we get fat? The truth is we can’t eat enough belgian chocolate!    

Wade Lucas is the creator of Quality Goutmet Chocolate. Not only is dark belgian chocolate the best tasting candy that you can eat. But  they are also good for your health. The health benefits and great taste make belgian chocolate the perfect treat. We also feature fresh roses and other fine gourmet gifts. Visit us at:http://www.qualitygourmetchocolate.co
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