Chocolate-“Food of the Gods”
Made from the cocoa
bean that is found in pods from the cacao tree, the earliest documented record
of chocolate was over fifteen hundred years ago in Central America. (Wilbur
Chocolate, nd)
With its’ tropical climate of high temperatures year round and high rain fall,
Central America provides the ideal climate for the cacao tree, or “food of the gods” per its Latin name, the
Obroma Cacao. The origins of chocolate are believed to have begun with the
ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations, who made a spicy chocolati drink from
roasted cocoa beans. The Aztec drink was described as “finely ground, soft,
foamy, reddish, bitter with chilli water, aromatic flowers, vanilla and wild
honey” from roasted chocolate beans. (Wilbur Chocolate, nd) The Aztecs
considered the drink a luxury, and consumed it in large quantities. The Maya
brewed a spicy, similar drink by roasting and pounding the seeds of the cacao
tree with maize and capsicum peppers and then letting the mix ferment. Both
drinks were considered ceremonial, and the Aztecs considered it an aphrodisiac.
It is reported that Montezuma, the Aztec emperor drank the drink fifty times a
day from a golden goblet, and is quoted
to saying “the divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights
fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day
without food.” in regards to the chocolate drink.
When the Spanish
invaded Central America, they found more than just gold. Don Cortes, a Captain
General and Governor of Mexico returned to Spain in 1528 with his galleons
filled with cocoa beans and equipment for making the chocolati drink. The drink
soon gained popularity in Spain. (Maya, 2011)
An Italian traveler to
Central America, Francesco Carletti, learned how to make the drink from
watching the Indians preparing the beans and making the drink. He brought the
recipe and equipment back to Italy and by 1606 chocolate was well established
in Italy. In 1615, Anne, daughter of Phillip 2 of Spain married King Louis 13
of France, and brought the chocolate recipe with her. The drink was well
accepted in the French Court, as they believed it had medicinal benefits as
well as nutritional merit. The custom of drinking chocolate made its way to
England in around 1520, and the first chocolate house opened in London in 1657.
(Wilbur Chocolate, nd)
The first chocolate
factories opened in Spain, where the dried beans from Central America were
transported to, stored, and turned to chocolate powder that was then exported
throughout Europe.
Sir Hans Sloane, an
English doctor, is believed to be the first to bring from Central America back
to Europe a recipe for chocolate blended with milk to create milk chocolate.
The original Cadbury milk chocolate recipe was based on Sir Hans Sloane’s
recipe. (MacDougall, 2003)
When the pilgrims came
to North America, they brought their chocolate powder and recipes with them.
Quakers, became well entrenched in chocolate, with some of the most well-known
names in chocolate being tied to Quakers. Fry, Rowtree and Cadbury were all chocolate
manufacturers known to have Quaker roots. (Office at West Hills Friends, nd) In the mid 1600’s
bakers in Europe began to add chocolate powder to cakes, beginning the start of
eating chocolate in solid form. In 1828, Johannes van Houten, a Dutch chemist,
invented the method of extracting the bitter tasting fat or “cocoa butter” from
the roasted beans, leading the way for solid chocolate manufacturing. In 1847
Joseph Fry (of Fry & Sons) is credited with producing and selling the
worlds’ first chocolate bar, mixing sugar with cocoa powder and cocoa butter. (Quakers In
the World, nd)
In 1875, Daniel Peters, a Swiss manufacturer combined cocoa powder, cocoa
butter, sugar, and dried milk powder to produce the first milk chocolate in
solid form. (annmariekostyk.com, 2011)
