Chocolatl

Chocolatl is a preparation made from the seeds of the Cacao, which comes in a variety of forms including solids, liquids, and powders depending on method used to prepare it, expanding from ritual use in the cities of the Dragon Kings into mass production during the Golden Age where sculpted chocolatl figures were a common gift for children, and included in the rations of the Solar Deliberative's soldiers.

During the Shogunate Era, production of chocolatl fell out of favour, not meeting the martial appetites of the Dragonblooded and difficult to produce locally with the crumbling of Creation's trade infrastructure. Since the rise of the Scarlet Dynasty, howeever, it has seen a resurgence, particularly in the small ornate desserts of Dynastic Dim Sum.

There are several different preparations of chocolatl. In its earliest days, chocolatl was a component in rituals praising the Unconquered Sun, and some cults (particularly amongst the Dragon Kings) still make use of it in this way. Even amongst the ostensibly-Immaculate Dynasts continue to use the ancient appelations for the various types, based on the amounts of cacao fats and solids, and presence of different ingredients.

Midnight Chocolatl - A dark chocolate heavy with cacao and low in sweetness, using no fats but those of the cacao itself.

Twilight Chocolatl - Slightly lighter than Midnight Chocolatl, with a bittersweet flavour, often incorporating additional non-cacao fats.

Dawn Chocolatl - Lighter and sweeter still than Twilight Chocolatl, made with use of milk or cream.

Zenith Chocolatl - Ivory or golden in colour, Zenith chocolatl uses the cacao fat but not solids, resulting in an entirely sweet variation.

Blood Chocoatl - Perhaps the oldest form of chocolatl, prepared with the crushed seeds of the Vermillion Kiss bush to create a spicier, red-tinted chocolatl. In the Primordial Age, this was heated and mixed vigorously until frothy, taking on a blood-like appearance and leaving drinkers with lips splattered as if with gore. Some rituals to the Unconquered Sun practiced by the Dragon Kings made use of this when the blood of sacrifices was not called for, and from here its use spread amongst the humans in their own ritual prayers to Sol Invictus, a substitute for rarely being allowed to make sacrifices of their own. By the time of the Primordial War it had become a regular part of many human cuisines, the widespread taste for it seeing various other variants developed and spread across Creation during the First Age.

Raw Cacao - Block-pressed or powdered cacao solids are sometimes considered a variation of Chocolatl, easily transported to be recombined with fats and sugars at their destination to make local confections.

Chocolatl also sees use in other dishes such as Gianduja (a spread of nuts and chocolatl).

In medical and alchemical preparations, Chocolatl is considered a useful reagent for granting energy and for preparations invoking the power of the Sun or of Blood. It also has severe poisonous effects on some animals, particularly those under aegis of the Friends-of-Humanity Conclave, likely due to the acrimonious end of the marriage between the god of Cacao Ekchuah and Arshyan the Stalwart, Alpha of Dogs, in the Primordial Age.