Guest Author - Alegra Bartzat

Naked Chocolate is packed full of information about chocolate. In fact, of the many chocolate books I have looked at, it is one of the most informative I have found.

The book has chapters dedicated to: legends and history of chocolate, chemical composition of cacoa, myths and beliefs about chocolates abilities, rumors and urban legends about chocolates, chocolate and health, and a huge collection of chocolate recipes. The legends, especially the historical ones, are very interesting. They tell the legends of how cacao came to be as told by the various native tribes of South America. They also chronicle the history of cacao as it is used as money in South America, traded with European explorers, brought back to Europe, and eventually made into the chocolate we know today.

While the information is there, it is sometimes unsubstantiated. For the most part it is either referenced or believable, but some of the claims are a little far out. For example, in one page the authors explain how chocolate is good for the heart because it contains magnesium. In the next paragraph, they authors write that chocolate opens the heart center on a metaphysical level. Magnesium is science, chakras are a different realm.

The recipes look really great, and the photographs are beautiful. However, most of the recipes require kitchen gadgets that some people do not have (like myself). You must have: a food dehydrator, a juicer, a food processor, a blender, a spice/coffee mill, and a hand blender. I have a blender. Of the pages and pages of recipes, I think I found two that I could make with my limited gadgetry. So, unless you are equipped with the gadgets of a raw-foodists kitchen, do not expect to be able to make all these recipes.

Also, there are occasional places in the text when the authors jump around randomly, inserting quotes with no transition, including long quotes from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" without apparent reason, etc.

And finally, the authors also talk about themselves a little too much. They tell all about their experiences with chocolate as though it is a personal journey, and I guess for them it is, but for me, I'm just trying to read about chocolate.

Despite all this, it is still overall informative and worthwhile.