Food for thought: chocolate.

It is in the nature of the training and work of pathologists to be practical, observant and down-toearth. We appreciate that food is central to the experience of all societies, hence, in communicating many of our descriptions of pathological changes, we use terms related to food. For example, we use terms such as “bread-and -butter” pericarditis, “caseous” necrosis, “anchovy sauce” abscesses, “coffee-bean” nuclei, “cauliflower” growths and “chocolate” cysts. Of these, “chocolate” is easily the term most easily recognized by society, as the consumption of chocolate has spread far and wide in all communities, among young and old, alike. Chocolate stirs emotions of both happiness and guilt. For years, I have been receiving gifts of chocolate from well-meaning students and friends, resulting in rather large hordes in my refrigerator. For years, I have been feeling guilty of snacking them while peering down my microscope at trays of consultation and research slides at the end of a tiring working day: I must confess that just that “little-bit-of chocs” helps me go that extra mile. So, when I attended the Presidential lecture on “Chocolate” by Professor Roberto Verna at the 63th National Congress of the Italian Association of Clinical Pathology and Molecular Medicine in Perugia (famous for its special brand of chocolates) in September 2013, I was greatly comforted. I have persuaded him to share his lecture with us, as a special pictorial essay in this issue of the Malaysian Journal of Pathology. In his lecture, he has also pointed out the work of several Nobel laureates that lend credence to some of the beneficial effects of chocolate. A link between chocolate consumption and Nobel laureates is also highlighted in another delightful article which I would highly recommend to readers. Enjoy!