巧克力的甜蜜诱惑 巧克力

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The Sweet Lure of Chocolate

Chocolate
There are few foods that people feel as passionate about -- a passion that goes beyond a love for the "sweetness" of most candies or desserts: after all, few people crave caramel, whipped cream, or bubble gum（n.泡泡糖）. Chocolate is, well, different. For the true chocoholic, just thinking about chocolate can evoke（v.唤起） a pleasurable response. You may want to grab a bar or make a nice cup of hot cocoa before you begin exploring here.

Chocolate Invades Europe
When the Spanish first brought chocolate back to Europe, it was still being served as a beverage, but soon went through an important evolution: the chili pepper was replaced by sugar. The new, sweetened, chocolate beverage was a luxury few could afford, but by the 17th century the drink was common among European nobility. In England, which was somewhat more egalitarian( adj.平等主义的) than the rest of Europe, chocolate was more widely available. Those who could afford it could enjoy chocolate drinks in the new coffee and chocolate houses of London.

As other countries challenged Spain's monopoly on cacao（n.可可豆）, chocolate became more widely available. Soon the French, English, and Dutch were cultivating cacao in their colonies in the Caribbean, and later, elsewhere in the world. With more production came lower prices, and soon the masses in Europe and the Americas were enjoying chocolate

中文译文：

巧克力
很少有能让人们如此热衷的食物--对它的钟情超越了多数讨人喜欢的糖果和甜点，毕竟，喜欢太妃糖、生奶油和泡泡糖的人还是少数的。巧克力，是完全不同的。对于真正的巧克力爱好者，仅仅想到巧克力就会产生一种愉悦的快感。在开始巧克力探索之前，或许你会想要吃一块巧克力或者准备一份美味的热巧克力。

巧克力席卷欧洲
当西班牙人刚刚把巧克力带回欧洲时，巧克力只是作为一种饮料，但后来很快就发生了重大的演化：糖代替了红辣椒。这种新的甜味巧克力饮料在当时算是奢侈品，极少有人喝得起，但是到了17世纪这种饮料在贵族阶层就很寻常了。由于英国比其他欧洲国家崇尚平等，巧克力就更加大众化。那些喝得起的人能在伦敦新起的咖啡屋和巧克力屋品尝到巧克力饮品。

当其他国家时质疑西班牙对可可的垄断权时，巧克力的种类也更加繁多了。不久，法国、英国和荷兰在加勒比海自家的殖民地上种植培育可可，后来还到世界其他地方种植可可。生产量上去了，价格也就低了，很快欧洲和美洲的老百姓都能享受得起巧克力了。

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