The History of Chocolate
When we think of chocolate, we tend think of chocolate bars, truffles, chocolate covered pretzels and other sweet confections. When in actuality, chocolate dates back to an area known as ancient Mesoamerica, an area we now know as: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Chocolate in ancient times was not just a sweet treat in an edible form, it was used as an important part of royal events and religious services.
250-900 A.D.
The ancient Maya in the period from 250-900 A.D. discovered the secret of cacao. The Mayans of the Mesoamerican region removed cacao trees from the rainforests to grow in their gardens at home. At home, they harvested, fermented, roasted and ground cacao seed into a paste that when combined with water, chile peppers, cornmeal and other regional ingredients, created a spicy, yet frothy chocolate beverage.
1400 A.D. - The Aztec Adopt Cacao
During this time the Aztec civilization was on the rise and ruled a large segment of the Mesoamerican region. It was during this period and due largely to their close proximity to one another that the Aztec and Mayan civilizations traded cacao with one another. In fact, the Aztec's were known to use cacao seeds as a form of money and required conquered people to pay tribute to the Aztec leaders in the form of cacao seeds.
Similarly to the Mayans, the Aztec's drank a bitter chocolate beverage that was seasoned with spices, since sugar was not available to them at that time.
Also like the Mayans, the Aztec's used chocolate based beverages as an important part of royal events. It was particularly favored by: rulers, decorated warriors, and important merchants. Often priests utilized cacao in their religious services as an offering to their gods.
1521 - 1750 A.D. -Cacao Is Introduced To Europe
The Spaniards under the command of Hernando Cortes conquered Mexico in 1521. It was during this period that the Spaniards learned about Cacao's remarkable flavor and recognized its value as a beverage. They began shipping cacao seeds back home to Spain.
The Spanish began mixing formerly bitter cacao based beverages with cinnamon, sugar and other spices to sweeten them up.
For about 100 years, the Spaniards managed to hide their secretive chocolate drink from the rest of Europe until it was finally discovered and spread as a huge fad throughout Europe. Because cacao and sugar were so expensive to import, drinking chocolate was reserved for the elite. It acted as a symbol of wealth and power.
Eventually the rising demand for chocolate throughout Spain and the rest of Europe, caused these nations to establish colonial plantations to grow cacao and sugar. Spain in particular established plantations on islands such as: Trinidad, Haiti and the West African island of Bioko.
1750 - 1910 A.D. - Chocolate Experiences Mass Production By Machinery
Prior to 1750, chocolate had been a handmade luxury product that was only enjoyed by the upper classes of society.
By way of the industrial revolution and new inventions like the steam engine, chocolate manufacturers were able to grind cacao to produce large amounts of chocolate quickly and inexpensively. Chocolate then became affordable to a much broader audience than ever before.
Later inventions, like the cacao press and the conching machine produced smooth, creamy, solid chocolate that people could eat instead of just drinking.
In 1875, Daniel Peter and Henri Nestlé teamed up to introduce condensed milk to chocolate, thus naming their concoction "milk chocolate".
In 1879, Randolphe Lindt created the conching process that formed cacao paste into a smooth blend - perfect for creamy, blended chocolate bars.
1910 A.D. - Present
Growing cacao has not changed much over the centuries. Cacao today is still primarily harvested, fermented, dried, cleaned and roasted by hand. Cacao beans tend to grow best in warm, equatorial climates. But new ways to process cacao have resulted in the ability to extract chemicals from cacao that are used in cosmetics and medicine. The by-products of cacao provide environmentally friendly mulch or fodder for cattle. The science of processing cacao into chocolate has expanded the flavors and types of chocolate based products and beverages that are available to a growing global economy.
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The Mayan calendar called for the use of chocolate in royal and religious services.
Cacao on the tree, ready to harvest.
Mayans harvested cacao beans from trees and grew them in home gardens.
Cacao seeds and beans were often used as a form of money in early Aztec and Mayan Civilizations.
The Spaniards mix cacao beverages with spices to sweeten them up.
The conching process produces a smooth blend of chocolate that can be made into chocolate bars and more.
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