The skinny on chocolate

by Sandra Miller

Maybe you heard that Tollhouse cookies started here. But did you know that the first chocolate factory started in Dorchester? That we invented the hot fudge sundae?
Learn about all things cocoa with a three-hour narrated tour of Boston chocolate purveyors. If you're lucky, you can book a tour for this Valentine's Day, or at least give your sweetheart tickets to a future tour.
On a tour which I took recently, tour guide Jeff Semeraro takes a trolleyful of us chocolaholics on stops to three dining rooms for chocolate treats, but first, he starts with a little lesson in chocolate.
Visitors get a taste of chocolates from Beacon Hill Chocolates, and Somerville chocolate company Taza Chocolate, the only maker of 100 percent stone ground chocolate in the United States.
Semeraro taught us that the higher the cocoa content, the healthier chocolate can be. For centuries, some civilizations considered chocolate to have medical value, and there's some truth to that, he said. It's an antioxidant, among other things, but stick to the darkest chocolates.
We learned about where chocolate comes from, and we looked at photos of the chocolate-making process and cacao trees. He passed around cacao pods with beans inside. It takes 400 pods to create one pound of chocolate, he said.
Between stops, the tour guide also taught us the origins of Hershey's, Mars Bars and M&Ms, Lindt, and other famed chocolatiers, about the ancient Aztecs who literally killed for hot chocolate, and what white chocolate is made of. We learned about the virtuousness of Cadbury and Hershey, the patriotism of Mars bars, and where the origin of the heart-shaped valentine box.
Speaking of valentines, chocolate IS an aphrodisiac. "It is more than a myth," said our tour guide. "It does increase the libido."
Chocolate in milk arrived in the colonies at a local pharmacy, and later, a Boston entrepreneur invented a method of grinding the beans, at the Baker factory in Dorchester. "Since the American Revolution, not much has changed in the world of chocolate," said the guide.
Our trolley arrived first at the Sheraton entrance to the Prudential Center, where a Chef Magnifique greeter ran up to our door, welcomed us and walked us to the elevators.
From 52 floors high, the chef seated us, and we dined on chocolate pastries and sipped tea while enjoying the vast city view in a private dining room. The dessert changes weekly. We had three pastries, including an espresso mousse with pistachios and gold leaf on gingerbread crust.
The next stop was at the Omni Parker House Hotel, the oldest continually operated hotel in the U.S. We were warned to not ask for tempting seconds of their famous Boston creme pie -- we needed to pace ourselves for the rest of the trip. He also recommended that we drink plenty of water to help our digestion.
The Omni's director of marketing gave a brief history of the hotel, relating stories about famous guests such as John F. Kennedy, former workers that included baker Ho Chi Min and waiter Malcolm X, along with trivia about the hotel's famous rolls, scrod and pie.
Last stop: The Langham's unique Chocolate Bar buffet, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary and now offers more than 170 desserts - whipped and fudgy, frozen and warm, baked and flambee'd. Offerings change, but this week included chocolate crème brulee, a chocolate fountain, French Opera Cake, Chocolate Risotto with pomegranate seeds, several flavors of hot chocolate, a penny candy stand, and a Make Your Own Chocolate Bar stand with such ingredients as ginger, sesame seeds and pistachios. There's even gluten-free and sugar-free offerings, vegan items, and for an extra fee, chocolate martinis.
"It's more than a buffet," said our host. "There are tables and tables of chocolate."
With all those choices, there were several methods of attack. The waitress, Mesut Coskun, recommended walking around the room to scope out the offerings, and told us that we should definitely try the chocolate bread pudding with caramel sauce and the hazelnut crème cake.
Some tour guests decided to have just a few desserts.
A 5-year-old visitor was happy with the cotton candy dusted with cocoa, and a chocolate crepe stuffed with gummy bears. This writer filled her plate a few times with about 20 items, and had the tiniest bite of each to taste as much as possible in the hour we were there. The favorite: tres leches mousse.
The tour guide wrapped up with a list of his own favorites - Green and Black's, Chick's Chocolates, and Dagoba, and a final nod to another great dessert spot not on the tour, Finale's at the Park Plaza.
Semeraro leads other tours, but loves this one, which has been running for 12 years. "I try to tell people that chocolate is not just something we consume, but it's a healthy treat that helps with heart circulation," he said.
What better gift for your heart's desire than chocolate - or a chocolate tour?
Tours run every Saturday through April 25, twice a day at 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. as departing from the Trolley Stop Store at the corner of Boylston and South Charles streets. Each three-hour tour is $80 per person. Advance reservations are required. Call 617-269-7010.