Chocolate caviar is one of those things that most people never really think about. After all, how could such a thing exist? But hey, if people can put together chocolate and sauerkraut to make a cake, a combination of fish eggs and cocoa shouldn't be too far-fetched. Don't you think?

Needless to say, it does exist, and in several different forms. One form uses fish eggs for real; the other just pretends. We'll talk about both at length in this week's exciting episode of Extreme Chocolate.

You can do much better than cookbooks when it comes to reading about chocolate! If you're a fiction lover, you might not know about the dozens of delicious fictional accounts designed to make chocolate lovers salivate. In fact, an Amazon search for chocolate fiction calls up close to 40,000 results! These are some of the best -- the cream of the chocolate crop!

So-called "tropical" heat resistant chocolate used to be almost exclusively military. Lucky for us, real confectioners have recently gotten into the act.

When it comes to producing heat resistant chocolate for our troops to enjoy, the U.S. military is good at breaking things and blowing them up.

Let's face it: we chocolate extremos have a desperate need for heat resistant chocolate. You see, the melting point of chocolate is pretty close to human body temperature, which means if you try to slip a Hershey Bar into a pocket or backpack, you're gonna end up with a gooey mess.

Even if you don't keep your chocolate close to your heart, you'd better keep it close to an air conditioner if you live anywhere south of Saskatchewan in the summer, because otherwise you'll be dealing with melted chocolate. Bummer.

Since there's only one species of Theobroma cacao, the tropical tree that produces chocolate, you might think it unlikely that different types of cacao beans should even exist. Well, think again. Over the years, cacao experts have defined three different varieties. Or four. Or maybe two. It depends on the expert.

Before crying foul, recall that the Chihuahua and the St. Bernard, and all the hundreds of breeds between, all belong to the same species of domestic dog; and the humblest banana pepper is brother to the hottest habanero. With that in mind, let's take a look at variation within the aptly-named "food of the gods."

Like many X-choc fans, we find the very concept of chocolate jalapeno dishes compelling. Just what is it that makes the mixture of spicy-heat and chocolate so popular with so many? Could it be the snack's origin? After all, it was originally flavored with chili peppers.

Whatever the case, the concept seems popular among gourmands, with recipes available for everything from straight chocolate-covered peppers (the red ones are said to be better than the green) to jalapeno chocolate dessert dishes. In this article, we'll introduce you to one of the latter in greater detail.

When you come right down to it, we take chocolate production for granted. All those pretty shiny packages at shops and stores hide sweet, delicious treasures which we pop into our mouths without a thought for the hours and processes that have gone into making them. How can we be true chocolate extremists when we don't even know where our chocolate comes from?

Never fear: here's the lowdown on chocolate production from cocoa bean to chocolate bar!

Just like a fine wine, a fine chocolate engages not just your sense of taste, but also your sense of smell. Some chocolates might have more of an earthy palate, while others might evoke the scent of jasmine or tobacco. How well can you recognize the different aromas in different chocolates?

When we think about chocolate, whether it's chocolate therapy or not, we don't normally think India. But India is heading the new movement that uses chocolate for what we've always known it was good for: improving health. Actually, they're using it as a beauty treatment, but never mind: proponents of chocolate therapy say it has spectacular anti-aging properties that make it the most affordable and readily available beauty treatment ever.

The origins of chocolate mousse are relatively unknown. After being introduced to chocolate by the Spanish, French chefs have been cooking with chocolate since the early 17th century. Mousse, which means "foam", originated in France in the 18th century. It was only a matter of time until cooking with chocolate and making dishes with foamy textures came together for "mousse au chocolat."