Historic Chocolate

From The Mary Sue:

Although these chocolate traces aren’t the oldest to our knowledge, preceded by beverage vessels found in excavations of Gulf coast sites of the Olmec culture which have dated back to 1,500 BC, they do date back to about 500 BC, long before archeologists thought any culture was cooking with chocolate. According to the anthropology institute, “this indicates that the pre-Hispanic Maya may have eaten foods with cacao sauce, similar to mole,” a sauce common to modern Mexican cuisine that often has chocolate in it. The primary piece of evidence that supports this theory is that the traces were found on a plate, and not a bowl or a grinding apparatus: ”This is the first time it has been found on a plate used for serving food,” archaeologist Tomas Gallareta said . “It is unlikely that it was ground there (on the plate), because for that they probably used metates (grinding stones).”

Arab-American Women Cook Online

From the Saudi Gazette:

Many Arab-American women hold reputations among family and friends as great chefs of Middle Eastern food. Building on their domestic culinary success, Arab-American women for decades have opened Middle Eastern restaurants that enhanced America’s gastronomic landscape.

Today, Arab-American women are taking their culinary knowledge to a new level. Using recipes passed down through generations, these women are influencing American kitchens through the Internet.

Exemplifying this trend are two Arab-American women with roots at opposite ends of the Mediterranean - Lebanon and Morocco. Denise Hazime of DedeMed.com and Alia Al-Kasimi of Cooking with Alia are using cyberspace savvy to promote businesses that highlight the Middle East’s rich food heritage.

Whatever the reason for an interest in Middle Eastern cuisine, both women agree it is a thriving online market. Especially for Denise Hazime, who aspires to be known as the “Queen of Hummus.”

Co-founder of DedeMed.com, Hazime has a formidable Internet presence. With the help of DedeMed.com co-founder Crisantos Hajibrahim, videos from her Web site are posted on YouTube and her efforts are highlighted on Facebook among other sites.