The Chocolate Easter Egg

A large part of my youth was spent in Norwich, England. Every Saturday, I would take the bus in to the City at first with my mother and later on after school to meet my parents - yes I went to school on Saturdays. As soon as you walked off the bus, all you could smell was chocolate, it was almost overwhelming.

It was the Rowntree Mackintosh Chocolate Factory and one of the things they made was Chocolate Easter Eggs!

The origins of Easter have their basis in Christianity, but the holiday also has strong connections to pagan times and the celebrations of spring equinox. The holiday’s name is derived from the Saxon goddess of dawn, Eostre who was honored in the pagan spring festivals, which coincided with the timing of the Christian celebrations of the resurrection.

Why Easter Eggs?
Though the roots of the celebrations are different, many cultures around the world observe spring holidays and festivals centered on the common theme of rebirth and the egg as a symbol of the source of life.

Dyed eggs were shared and eaten at spring festivals in ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Persia and China. Gradually these traditions made their way westward and were expressed in various forms – from dyed goose eggs to beautifully decorated paper mâché eggs in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the late 19th and early 20th century the ultimate Easter eggs – the Fabergé eggs made their royal appearance.

Chocolate Eggs.

Today’s European tradition of giving chocolate Easter eggs as gifts can be traced back to 19th century France and Germany. The first eggs were small and solid and made of a course, bitter dark chocolate. As technology improved and cocoa became more widely available, so did chocolate Easter eggs. The tradition spread to many parts of Europe, often with each country making their own unique mark.

The first mass-produced chocolate egg appeared in England in 1873 when Cadbury debuted their first Easter egg. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that milk chocolate Easter eggs became available. Today Easter eggs are available in all varieties – from those found in grocery stores in England and some european stores in the USA to brilliant chocolate works of art, beautifully decorated and filled with chocolate surprises from specialty chocolatiers.

I like to give Easter Eggs still and I frequent an English Store that sells british goodies. No sign of a bunny - just me!

Tree Nuts

I am starting out my food blog on a serious note. I promise that I will try to make it funny after this.

The subject is Nut Allergies.

We found out that my daughter is allergic to Nuts before she was 2 years old. It was scary then and it is even more scary now. As a toddler, her ankles and eyes blew up, her Daddy has severe allergies and we knew to take her straight to the Emergency room. As a 13 year old she ingested Cashew nuts that were hidden in a jar of Pesto - my first and last time buying pesto. In fact we still all shudder when we say the word.

She ended up going into full blown Anaphylactic shock and we almost lost her. I'm still not sure if it was a miracle that we didn't.

Tree nuts are different than Peanuts. The peanut is a legume and is in a family of its own. Tree Nuts include macadamia nuts, brazil nuts, cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, chestnuts, beechnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts, gingko nuts and hickory nuts. Like peanut and shellfish allergies, tree nut allergies tend to be severe, and are strongly associated with anaphylaxis. Walnuts and cashews are the two tree nuts that cause the most allergic reactions. At least 90 percent of children diagnosed with tree nut allergies will have them for life

The only way to really be sure you do not have an allergic reaction is to "avoid" this is easier said than done. Following an allergic reaction is a lot of awareness, educating everyone around you and stocking up on double dose epi-pens.

Next time you buy cookies, candy or cereal - read the labels and you will see how difficult it is to avoid!

For awareness - http://www.foodallergy.org