When people hear the word "chocolate," they might think of a box of assorted chocolates, a chocolate bar, brownies or even a hot chocolate.
Today, chocolate is perhaps one of the world's most beloved treats. There are many types of chocolate, ranging from white to dark, bitter to sweet; everyone has a favorite.
But have you ever wondered where chocolate actually comes from? Let's uncover the history of this ancient treat.
Chocolate begins with the cacao tree (scientific name Theobroma cacao), which contains bright yellow pods that hang from its branches. Inside are the small, bitter seeds that are the basis of chocolate.
The scientific name Theobroma cacao means "food of the gods." According to Alexandra Leaf, a self-proclaimed "chocolate educator," experts use "cacao" to refer to the plant or the beans before processing. She also explains that "chocolate" refers to anything made from the beans and "cocoa" refers to powdered chocolate that is used to make chocolate milk or hot chocolate.
The history of the use of chocolate can be traced back at least 4,000 years in ancient Mesoamerica, the area in present-day Mexico and Central America.
For many centuries, cacao seeds were valuable enough that they were used as currency in pre-modern Latin America. According to a 16th century Aztec document, one seed could be traded for a tamale, whereas 100 seeds were enough to buy a turkey hen.
The Olmec, one of the earliest civilizations of Mesoamerica, were the first to turn the cacao seeds (or cocoa beans) into chocolate. They brewed an ancient chocolate drink that was used for rituals and medicinal purposes around 1800 B.C.
The Maya and the Aztecs, two other Mesoamerican civilizations, believed that chocolate was a gift from the gods. You might assume the chocolate drink the Aztecs made was sweet, but in reality, it was quite frothy and bitter. They dried and ground the beans, then mixed them with water, which was often mixed with chili.
No one is sure exactly how chocolate came to Europe. Legend has it that around the 1500s, Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes traveled to Mesoamerica to establish Spanish colonies. There, while he was searching for riches and gold, he was greeted with a cup of the Aztec chocolate drink.
Cortes was so fascinated by the drink that he decided to take gallons of it back to Spain in 1528. The Spaniards decided to make a change to improve the taste of the bitter chocolate drink. Eventually, they decided to add sugar to sweeten the drink.
By the 17th century, chocolate was "the" drink of European aristocracies. In other words, only the wealthy had the privilege to drink chocolate. At the time, the drink was believed to have nutritious and medicinal benefits.
Up until this point, chocolate was solely consumed as a drink. But that changed in 1828, when Dutch chemist Coenraad van Houten invented the "cocoa press." He found a way to make powdered chocolate by removing the natural fat from a cacao seed, pulverizing what remained and treating the mixture with alkaline salts, cutting the bitter taste.
His product became known as "Dutch cocoa," which was far tastier to enjoy as a drink.
In 1847, a British company called J.S. Fry and Sons was credited with creating the first chocolate bar. The company had the novel idea of adding the natural fat back into liquid chocolate and pouring the mixture into molds, thus creating mass-produced chocolate bars.
By 1873, Fry decided to make a chocolate version of the Easter egg since egg decorating had been a popular Christian tradition for a long time. The company eventually merged with a larger chocolate company, Cadbury's.
A fun fact: During the Revolutionary War, because of its value, chocolate was included in soldiers' rations and was used as a substitute for wages.
By the 20th century, chocolate was no longer a treat for the wealthy and stores worldwide are stocked with cheaper chocolate bars for everyone to enjoy. These chocolates now contain additives and extra sugar than actual cacao. These are often made from hardy but least flavorful of the cacao bean varieties, which is called forastero.
Nowadays, chocolate is savored as an edible treat, even though many of us still enjoy a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day.
Furthermore, chocolate smells absolutely delicious you want to treat yourself to one!
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