Asal Coklat

Coklat adalah nama sebuah makanan yang diolah dari biji koko. Coklat umumnya diberikan sebagai hadiah atau pemberian pada hari-hari istimewa. Dengan bentuk, corak, dan rasa yang unik, coklat sering digunakan sebagai ungkapan terima kasih, simpati, atau prihatin hingga ke pernyataan cinta. Dari dahulu, coklat bukan bermula sebagai makanan (kecil), tetapi minuman dengan rasa yang istimewa. Coklat dihasilkan dari koko (Theobroma cacao) yang mula-mula tumbuh di daerah Amazon utara melunjur ke Amerika Tengah yang berkemungkinan hingga ke Chiapas, bahagian paling selatan Mexico. Orang-orang Olmec memanfaatkan pokok tersebut dan, mungkin juga, membuat “coklat” di sepanjang pantai teluk di selatan Mexico sekitar 1000 tahun SM. Peradaban pertama yang mendiami daerah Meso-Amerika itu mula mengenal pokok “kakawa” yang buahnya digunakan sebagai minuman.

Tidak Menggemukkan???

Rasa coklat masih sukar diartikan. Konon, rasa coklat dibentuk dari campuran 1,200 jenis zat, tanpa satu rasa yang dominan. Malah, sebagian dari zat itu pun rasanya sangat tidak sedap sekiranya. Disebabkan itu, sehingga sekarang masih tiada coklat tiruan.

Antara zat-zat penghasil rasa coklat terdapat lemak. Titik lebur lemak koko ini hanya sedikit bawah suhu normal tubuh manusia. Jika sepotong coklat dimakan, lemak itu cair di dalam mulut. Cairnya lemak koko menimbulkan rasa lembut di mulut. Lemak koko tidak langsung diserap tubuh kerana bukan dari jenis yang menggemukkan tubuh.

Walaupun tak dapat digantikan, pemalsuan sering dilakukan. Koko adalah bahan yang mahal, apatah lagi dibandingkan dengan gula atau minyak nabati. Maka, tidak hairan kalau dapur konvension terpaksa memilih kedua-dua bahan ini untuk menggantikan koko. Disebabkan itu, tidak banyak coklat di pasar “coklat”.

Lemak koko sering digantikan dengan minyak yang lebih murah, seperti lesitin atau minyak kelapa sawit. Selain soal harga, dengan kedua-dua bahan ini, pelapisan coklat menjadi lebih mudah. Perbandingan koko pejal, komponen tidak berlemak pada biji yang digiling juga cenderung rendah. Dalam bar coklat, misalnya, sekitar 20% gula-gula itu diisi coklat.

Coklat premium, di sisi lain, biasanya mengandung sekitar 50 – 70% coklat padat. Disebabkan coklat mengandung lebih gula dan mungkin juga sedikit minyak nabati, coklat pekat ini mengandung lebih sedikit kalori dari produk coklat pada umumnya. Maka, apabila para pennggemar coklat sering “protes” gara-gara coklat disalahkan untuk masalah yang sebenarnya disebabkan oleh penggunaan gula berlebihan.

Chocolate Fountain

A chocolate fountain is a device for serving chocolate fondue. It can come in many
different sizes, mini, medium, large and extra large depending on the number of guests you wish to cater for. The fountain has multiple tiers over a heated basin at the bottom. The chocolate is melted in the basin and then pulled up through the augur and continuously flows over the tiers. When it flows over the tiers, guests are able to select a condiment they would like to dip into the fountain, using a skewer, they select a dip of their choice and coat their item in delicious, warm melted chocolate….heaven!

Essentially, a chocolate fountain is composed of two parts. The base is the motor and a heater. The heater is designed to transpose heat through the base to keep the chocolate in liquid form. The motor drives the screw in the upper part of the fountain. This is an Archimedes screw, weren’t they clever! This is thought to have originated around 600 BC, I bet they never thought of a chocolate fountain then. The screw lies in a tight cylinder in a vertical fashion with several holes at the bottom of the screw. The screw lifts the chocolate to the top of the cylinder from where it flows over several plates and down the fountain to be recycled again. This is the basic premise of a chocolate fountain, because the chocolate is thick, there is no need for a pump as the screw is a better means for lifting the chocolate up.

Why have a chocolate fountain? Chocolate Fountains are a new and impressive form of entertainment, they create a fantastic focal point at any major event and provide your guest with a unique and interactive way of treating themselves to luxurious fondue chocolate. Chocolate fountains are a great solution for some weddings, they provide a wonderful desert or can be used for an evening buffet. Some people chose to have a chocolate fountain rather than a wedding cake, this is because chocolate fountains are interactive and people can help themselves as much as they like when the would like it

What should you consider when booking a chocolate fountain? We recommend you consider booking you chocolate fountain at least 12 months in advance, this is because they are extremely popular. To enable you to get a realistic quote you will need to provide the following details:
1. Number of guests the chocolate fountain is to cater for.
2. Location of event.
3. Date of event – (if it’s a midweek event you may get a good discount).
4. Duration of event.

Most people book their chocolate fountain for the evening and on average, chocolate fountain companies hire their fountain for a period of 3 hours. However, every wedding/event is different, if you require your fountain during the day or for a longer period of time etc, please discuss this with the chocolate fountain company you have chosen

Home chocolate fountains are mini versions of the commercial ones used for weddings and events. Unfortunately there is a lot of rubbish out there and we get calls regularly from people saying that their mini fountain doesn’t work. Here are a couple of things that will help. Only use a quality chocolate that is made specifically for chocolate fountains. This tends to be more expensive but it is the key to success. Chocolate purchased from your local supermarket doesn’t work unless you put oil in it, a good quality fondue chocolate doesn’t require oil. The poorer the quality chocolate, the more oil you require. This is in fact a contradiction because standard chocolate bars typically contain around 20% vegetable fat anyway, but you will still have to add more oil because of the high level of impurities. If this doesn’t work, take the fountain back to the point of purchase and tell them that it is rubbish, maybe some of the high street chains will think again about selling consumers junk!

How do you get the most out of your home fountain. Ensure that you have a variety of dips available, the best to use are strawberries, grapes and other fruits such as pineapple and melon but fruit works really well with chocolate. Ensure that you have skewers and enough for your guests, these are readily available at a variety of shops, especially hardware shops that sell barbecues. Also ensure that you have some large napkins as you wouldn’t want chocolate dripping all over your floor. Finally, presentation is key, make sure that your skewers are kept together and that you present your home fountain as clean and attractive on a surface that is easy to wipe to ensure that drips don’t spoil your display.

Finally, after your event has finished, don’t turn the fountain of and go to bed. Dispose of the chocolate whilst it is still in liquid form as this makes cleaning so much easier. Your fountain should also disassemble into separate parts, put everything except the motor assembly into a dishwasher or a sink full of hot and soapy water and then it should be easily to clean down. Before you pack your fountain away, make sure that it is completely clean and dry to prevent any contamination.

10 Countries Where Travel Insurance Won’t Be Able To Help You

The foreign and commonwealth office draws up an extensive list of countries that should not be travelled to quite regularly, and is from that, that our, and other global travel insurance providers’, underwriters decide which countries travel insurance should be provided for. We look at the government travel advice and decide from that whether or not we can provide insurance to travellers.

Although global travel insurance does, by its nature, cover the majority of the world, the current climate ensures that there are some places where the likelihood of incident means that UK travel insurance providers are unable to offer protection. Thankfully, the list is clear of the majority of popular holiday destinations, and you’re unlikely to have your big holiday plans affected. The most likely group to have their travel plans altered by the foreign office’s travel advice are business travellers.

The foreign office’s travel advice is not to travel to the following countries, even if it means losing business – the risk from the warzones listed below is just too great to make the reward worth the danger:

Here’s our top 10 countries to avoid travelling to, and the reasons for the high risk factor! The risk is far from conclusive (the foreign office’s travel advice lists many more countries), but to me, these are the ones that all travellers should avoid like the plague:

10) Liberia
Economic hardship in Liberia is currently making outbreaks of violence common, and foreigners (especially westerners) are at risk targets due to their affluence. This extra likelihood of incident ensures that no UK travel insurance provider would risk offering you cover if you choose to visit Liberia

9) Nepal
Occasional acts of terrorism and political violence in urban areas make Nepal off-limits for those who want to get travel insurance. In September this year, three nearly simultaneous bombs went off in the capital of Kathmandu, killing 3 and injuring many innocent bystanders.

8) Haiti
Haiti is considered off limits to many travellers on account of the high risk of kidnappings and civil unrest that is prominent. At the time of writing, there have been 12 kidnappings of American travellers in 2007 – mostly criminal in nature. In the past, these kidnappings have ended in physical and sexual assaults and shootings. The potential for spontaneous protests and demonstrations has also been known to result in unexpected violence, day or night. It’s no surprise that the government’s travel advice is not to travel here!

7) Yemen
Due to the high levels of terrorist activity in Yemen, westerners are advised to steer clear of Yemen. If this is not possible, then all travellers are encouraged to stay vigilant and to keep a low profile to avoid attacks or kidnapping. The situation is so grave that the US Embassy often restricts American citizens from certain hotels, restaurants and shopping areas.

6) Israel
The Gaza Strip and West Bank has seen immense violence in recent months between Israeli and Palestinian factions, and shootings, kidnappings and violence demonstrations have occurred in each. The region’s continued instability makes travel to Israel widely recommended against – the risk of abduction or worse makes travel insurance impossible to obtain.

5) Democratic Republic of Congo
The democratic republic of Congo remains one of the most dangerous places to travel in Africa, where violence, neglect and corruption has left the country distinctly damaged. Fighting erupted in the streets of Kinshasa in March this year, and the situation remains volatile despite the immediate threat of violence calming down. Travel outside of Kinshasa is difficult and dangerous with security, especially in the north and easy, being unstable. Any traveller brave enough to travel to the Congo should be extremely cautious, avoid the North Kivu district which is the backdrop to armed conflict between government troops and army rebels, avoid crowds and keep a close eye on local media.

4) Burma (Myanmar)
While the human rights situation makes Myanmar an ethically uneasy place to visit, currently there is a lot of personal risk involved as well. Throughout September, the anti-government protests sparked a violent crackdown from the authorities and made international headlines. Although the dusk-til-dawn curfew imposed in some of the towns has been lifted, it still remains an uncertain time to visit the country and you’re unlikely to find any global travel insurance company who will insure you.

3) Colombia
Colombia remains one of the most dangerous places to travel in the world thanks to the crime the country suffers from. The illicit drug trade in urban areas such as Cali and Buenaventura means that there is often a high risk of violence, while the more rural areas expose visitors to the country at risk from narcoterrorist groups who will often kidnap civilians to use for ransom or to gain media attention. Naturally UK travel insurance companies are loathe to insure travellers who choose to ignore these warning and travel to Colombia anyway.

2) Afghanistan
With the war on terror in Afghanistan still fresh in the mind, it’s no surprise that the country remains a big no-go area. Western tourists are obvious kidnap and assassination targets, as many of the disbanded Taliban and Al-Qa’ida forces remain at large and hostile to the new regieme. Additionally, the country remains unsafe due to tribal groups, explosive devices, landmines, military operations and acts of terrorism. Unsurprisingly, the government’s travel advice is to avoid travelling here at all costs!

1) Iraq
Given the high profile nature of western kidnappings by various insurgent groups, and the regular acts of terrorism and hostility to Western troops, it is no surprise that no travel insurance companies will insure travellers to the troubled country. The instability is caused by various groups – Ba’ath regime remnants, transnational terrorists and criminal elements have been known to attack convoys en-route to venues, hotels, restaurants, checkpoints and police stations.

While holidaymakers are unlikely to be affected by these less touristy locations, their riskiness means that business travellers will have to forgo their travel insurance if they are unable to cancel their trips.

Meraih Sukses Bersama

Mungkin anda sudah sering mendapat email dari orang yang tidak anda kenal mengenai sebuah penawaran bisnis on line atau tepatnya program investasi
Program ini ditujukan bagi siapa saja yang saat ini membutuhkan bantuan dana untuk keperluan yang positif seperti :

• Investasi membuka/mengembangk an usaha
• Melunasi hutang
• Biaya sekolah atau kuliah (Beasiswa), dalam dan luar negeri
• Biaya riset ilmiah
• Kegiatan sosial, termasuk LSM
• dan sebagainya.

Dalam program ini tersedia dana dengan jumlah tak terbatas yang berasal dari ribuan sumber sehingga memungkinan bagi siapa saja untuk mendaftar dan berpeluang mendapatkan dana hibah, tanpa syarat!.
Program ini merupakan program yang mengutamakan kebersamaan, dengan prinsip dari kita, oleh kita dan untuk kita, bersifat terbuka dan tidak ada pihak yang secara langsung bisa mengontrol ataupun bertanggung jawab terhadap sistem secara keseluruhan.
Peran kontrol dan tanggung jawab dipegang sepenuhnya oleh seluruh member yang telah mendaftar dan aktif. Program ini adalah independen, tidak ada hubungannya sama sekali dengan pemerintah, pihak Bank BCA atau Group BCA lainnya ataupun lembaga sosial/perseorangan . Namun secara keseluruhan program ini menggunakan fasilitas Bank BCA sebagai media transaksi finansialnya.
Program ini adalah unik, karena pendiri/founder program justru tidak mendapatkan keuntungan apapun, sehingga sistem ini tidak bisa ditiru. Program Investasi Asia Bersama diciptakan semata-mata dengan niat ikhlas untuk membantu sesama.
Konsep dasar dari program ini adalah bagaimana caranya supaya setiap orang, baik yang kuat secara finansial maupun yang lemah kemampuan finansialnya bisa memperoleh fasilitas pendanaan tak terbatas, tanpa syarat, tanpa bunga, dan tanpa perlu mengembalikan, namun dengan investasi yang sangat minim.
Dengan harapan, Program ini bisa/mampu memberdayakan masyarakat ekonomi lemah dan sektor industri menengah ke bawah agar terbebas dari masalah permodalan yang selama ini menjadi kendala mereka.
Untuk lebih jelasnya silahkan kunjungi website kami :
http://www.asiabersama.com/t-fany