A Good Day is a Chocolate Day

By Sandra Scott

A day is never complete without chocolate! This is true everywhere in the world. Everyone everywhere loves chocolate. At various times chocolate says, “Greetings” at other times it says “Have a good night.” But always chocolate says, “Welcome to the good life!”

Recently we were in San Pedro, Honduras, at the Crown Plaza. During breakfast we chatted with Stephanie Marinakys, one the hotel’s managers, and we mentioned that we were interested in cooking classes. “Our chef has a cooking show on TV and runs a cooking school, he would love to have you visit his school,” she said. Amazing. Just as easy as that, we were connected with the most famous chef in Honduras! She arranged a meeting with Chef Hernado Moreno Moyo, which led to an invitation to visit his school where he offered to teach us to make some Honduran specialties: Tapado Olanchano, Pupusa, and Patacones.

The next day at 9 a.m. Chef Hernado picked us up and off we went to his school. He showed us a video of one of his TV shows and while we were watching the show he offered us some yummy chocolate cupcakes his students had just finished making—a great way to say “Welcome” and to start our visit. We spent the morning learning to make some Honduran favorites.

“Tapado Olanchano is traditional to the interior of Honduras, which is largely a ranching area. Olancho is the largest department in Honduras,” Chef Herando explained. He continued, “Pupusa originated in El Salvador but it is a favorite of all Central Americans.” Pupusas are prepared with a variety of stuffings. Why not chocolate? I watched one of the students preparing Patacones and thought they would make great hor d’oeuvers with a chocolate dip. And, it looked so simple. So we learned to make those, too. The whole cooking experience was so typical of the openness and friendliness of the Honduran people.

Back at the Crown Plaza we enjoyed the pool with a great view of the green mountains that line the north coast of Honduras. Midday we decided it was time for a bite to eat so we headed to the Atmosfera Lounge with its towering glass walls. To my way of thinking the best club sandwiches are found in Central America where they add interesting items like eggs and avocados. I had the club sandwich while John had his favorite, fish soup. We could not resist chocolate cake! It was the quintessential chocolate cake with chocolate filling and chocolate frosting.

Chocolate has long been part of Honduras. Reportedly, historians have found the world’s oldest cups and plates for eating and drinking cocoa in the small village of Ulúa in Honduras. These utensils were presumably used exclusively for preparing and enjoying Xocoatl, the original cocoa drink. It is estimated that cocoa cultivation in Honduras dates back 3,000 years. Cocoa was so valuable in Honduras and other Central American countries that the beans were a form of currency—money that literally grew on trees. In fact, it is said that in the remote villages on the Mosquito Coast cocoa seeds were used as money to buy things in village markets as late as the 1980s.

When we returned to our room at the end of the day we found a wonderful “Good Night” chocolate basket waiting for us. Ah, a day that begins with chocolate and ends with chocolate is a wonderful day!

For more information check www.ichotelsgroup.com.

Sandra Scott is a frequent contributor to travel publications and to Creators Syndicate
and has co-authored two books on local history. She lives in Mexico, NY.

Photos by Sandra and J. J. Scott.

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