What’s Valentine’s Day without Roses and Chocolate?
By Donita Brannon
As suddenly as Christmas clutter was cleared from store shelves, the trappings of Valentine’s Day quickly took its place. Hearts and flowers, cards and candy, teddy bears and balloons are reminders of the huge economic impact this holiday has on merchants throughout the land. Americans send an estimated one billion Valentine cards each year (second only to Christmas with 2.6 billion). But the most popular Valentine gifts, hands down, must certainly be roses and chocolate.
When we give the gift of flowers, no matter if they are from a florist’s shop or our own garden, we express feelings of regard for another human being. These feelings linger on long after the flowers fade. Roses are considered the most beloved flower of all. The ancient Greeks and Romans associated the rose with Aphrodite and Venus, their goddesses of love. For many people roses represent deep and enduring love. They can also be the means of expressing friendship and sympathy. In a previous article I wrote about "The Language of Flowers" used during Victorian times. This guide attributed various meanings, feelings and emotions based on a particular flower's color, fragrance, etc. Roses, for instance, are believed to convey different meanings based on their color:
Red: true love
Pink: gentle feelings of love
Light pink: admiration, sympathy
Yellow: friendship or falling in love
Orange: passion
Purple: protection (maternal or paternal love)
Black: devotion (a true black rose is impossible to produce, although hybridizers continue to attempt it).
Sending someone dead roses means "It’s OVER!" Pretty self-explanatory, don’t you agree?
Roses are valuable not only to the floral industry but for use in making perfumes, as well. Attar of roses or rose oil is a mixture of volatile essential oils obtained by steaming the crushed petals of roses. It takes about 2,000 flowers to produce one gram of oil.
Rose bushes are one of the most popular of all garden shrubs. They were originally cultivated in China over 5,000 years ago. Sometime during the late eighteenth century, they were introduced into Europe from China. Today, there are perhaps 150 different species throughout the Northern Hemisphere. I must admit, however, I am not a fan of rose bushes. Don’t get me wrong: I love roses, just not rose BUSHES. As a gardener, I have an aversion to anything with thorns, or to be botanically correct when discussing roses, "prickles." But, if you do love and grow rose bushes then you know that the traditional day to prune them is Valentine’s Day!
Let’s move on to a topic that is the more likely a favorite of many…CHOCOLATE! Chocolate comes from a small tropical tree native to Mexico, and is currently cultivated throughout the tropics, including Africa, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria and Brazil. The type of soil and amount of rainfall that a chocolate tree receives are key factors in determining the flavor of the beans and subsequently the chocolate, much like grapes and fine wine. Lush, mineral rich soil helps to create flavorful, mineral rich beans.
The flowers of the cacao tree are very tiny and are produced directly on the trunk. They have virtually no scent and are pollinated by a type of gnat called a midge. The tree produces thousands of flowers, but only one out of one hundred will become fertilized and grow into a cocoa pod. On average, a single tree will produce only about 20 pods. The pod itself looks like a small football and contains between 30-40 seeds or "beans." The beans are roasted and pressed through rollers to create "chocolate liquor" from which cocoa, chocolate and cocoa butter are made.
The chocolate tree’s name, Theobroma caca, means "food of the gods" in Latin. As early as 1500 B.C. the Olmec Indians were growing
crops of cocoa beans. Cocoa beans were so prized in the Aztec culture they were used as currency. The Mayans established the first cacao plantations in the Yucatan around 600 A.D. It was the Spanish who first added sugar and other flavorings to chocolate in 16th century Europe. In 1765 chocolate was introduced into the U.S. by John Hanan, when he imported cocoa beans from the West Indies. He, along with Dr. James Baker, built America’s first chocolate mill and by 1780 were producing Baker’s chocolate. Sweethearts everywhere owe a big "thank you" to Richard Cadbury who is credited with creating the very first heart-
shaped candy box for Valentine’s Day in 1861.
Today Americans consume over 3 BILLION pounds of chocolate a year, resulting in a 60 BILLION dollar a year industry! If you’re one of those "chocoholics," here’s some great news: Research has shown that cocoa is the most powerful antioxidant on the planet. Twice as good as red wine and five times better than black tea. So, go ahead, enjoy that "guilty pleasure." You’re fighting heart disease and cancer with every bite.
