Scientists in California said on Wednesday they had found a chemical in chocolate which mimics the effects of cannabis.

Daniele Piomelli and colleagues at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego said they looked at the molecule, anandamide, because it is a brain lipid, or fat -- and of course chocolate is high in fat. They said it could act as a neurotransmitter, a chemical that carries signals between brain cells.

Writing in the science journal Nature, they said tests showed chocolate contained varying amounts of anandamide.

"Canniboid drugs are known to heighten sensitivity and produce euphoria. A possible effect of elevated brain anandamide levels could be to intensify the sensory properties of chocolate thought to be essential to craving,'' they wrote.

Previous efforts to explain chocolate's appeal have focused on phenylethylamine, a molecule related to amphetamines. These drugs raise blood pressure and blood sugar levels, making people feel more alert and sometimes creating a sense of well-being. Some studies have also said the chemical is secreted when people fall in love.

*** The International Association of Culinary Professionals recently presented awards for the best cook books of 1995.

From the Earth to the Table: John Ash's Wine Country Cuisine was named the year's best cook book.

Flatbreads and Flavours won the Julia Child Award for a first cookbook.

Marcel Desaulniers, who owns The Trellis restaurant in Williamsburg, Virginia, captured the Cooks' Choice Award, as the favourite of home cooks who mailed in ballots, for his book Desserts to Die For. IACP judges also named it the year's best dessert book.

Other book winners include Epitaph for a Peach: Four Seasons on My Family Farm by David Masumoto (literary writing); Oz Clarke's Wine Atlas; The Whole World Loves Chicken Soup by Mimi Sheraton; The Food Chronology: A Food Lover's Compendium of Events and Anecdotes from Prehistory to Present by James Trager; Lighter, Quicker, Better by Richard Sax and Marie Simmons; It Rains Fishes: Thai Cooking by Kasma Loha-unchit; and Roasting by Barbara Kafka.

*** When was the last time you snacked on a graham cracker? Probably not since you were a kid. That's why Nabisco's introduction of Honey Maid Crisps may be a good marketing decision.

These new snacks, in honey and cinnamon flavours, taste like regular graham crackers but are crisp and bite-size. They're hard to resist and relatively low in fat, with 1.5 grams per 18 crisps.

*** Velvet is premiering a line of fat-free sherbets with such enticing flavours as pina colada, berry basket and strawberry banana. While sherbet never has been a high-fat item (generally one to two grams per serving), these frozen treats are a great alternative to rich ice creams.

The pina colada variety is refreshing and delicious. The only thing that would make it better would be the use of aspartame instead of sugar to reduce the calorie count even more.

*** Hershey has picked up on an old idea that never achieved much fame. Reese's Shell Topping is a squeeze-on ice cream topping that hardens in seconds after it touches the cold ice cream.

Like its predecessor, Magic Shell, which still is on the market, this topper is fun and tasty. The chocolate and peanut butter-flavoured crunchy coating on top of vanilla ice cream is compelling.