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The History Of Chocolate
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Published: February 9, 2007
Chocolate is a sweet available worldwide in a variety of shapes, sizes and flavors. However, a majority of people who eat it do not know the rich history behind the delectable dessert.
The history of chocolate is rooted in the ancient Mesoamerican civilizations of the Olmec, Maya and Aztec.
The Olmec Empire was skillful in agriculture. It was here in the hot, humid and shady lands of modern-day southern Mexico and Central America where the notion of cultivating kakawa (from where cacao originates) began.
Widespread cultivation of cacao trees did not occur until the plant was introduced to the Mayans around the fourth century A.D., several centuries after the collapse of the Olmec Empire. The Maya Empire stretched from the Yucatán peninsula in Central America to the Chiapas and Pacific coast of Guatemala, the perfect climate for cacao tree cultivation.
Maya civilization was one of great intellectual, artistic and spiritual development. Stone palaces, tombs and temples were constructed with images of cacao pods carved or painted on the walls. The cacao bean was an important symbol in daily Maya life.
The history of chocolate in the Maya Empire also is evident in their books, usually with cacao being held by a god or goddess. The Maya consumed chocolate in a variety of ways. The flavoring of solid chocolate ranged from sweet honey to burning hot chili. Bitter brews were used by the nobility and at sacred rituals. Although some liked it hot, mostly it was guzzled cold. To achieve a frothy layer atop the drink, the chocolate was poured chest-high from a small container to a larger one on the ground.
However, as mighty as the Maya Empire was, its unfortunate collapse led to the reign of Quetzacoatl, the Toltec king. Quetzacoatl was believed to be the god of the air, whose main mission in life was to bring the seeds to the cacao tree from Eden to man and to instruct humans on how to cultivate the crop. After going insane from drinking an elixir which was supposed to cure his illness, Quetzacoatl sailed away on a small raft, promising to return to reclaim his kingdom. This legend became a significant part of Aztec belief.
When Hernán Cortés arrived in Mesoamerica in 1519, Montezuma II, the Aztec's Emperor, believed him to be the reincarnation of Quetzacoatl. Because of this confusion, Cortés was able to gain access into the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, where Montezuma showered him and his soldiers with numerous gifts, one being a cacao plantation. Cortés immediately realized the cacao bean possessed a strong economic value both as food and currency and, after he masterminded the collapse of the Aztec Empire, he set about growing cacao trees.
Since it was cacao was easy to grow and profitable to sell, Cortés and other Spaniards quickly got rich. Before long, the Spanish had cacao plantations in Peru, Mexico, Jamaica and Venezuela. Although cacao production has spread all over the world, the best beans still are cultivated in these Mesoamerican lands.
In 1585, the history of chocolate hit a widespread boom. A fleet loaded with chocolate sailed from Mesoamerica to Seville to begin commercial trade, beginning Europe's chocolate craze. Chocolate spread to other countries, each establishing their own trade routes, plantations and processing facilities.
The Dutch brought cacao trees to their East Indian states, later spreading to New Guinea, the Philippines and Indonesia. Portugal planted trees in Brazil and, in the early nineteenth century, they migrated across the Atlantic to the islands of São Tomé and Fernando Po, off the African coast. In 1879, cuttings from a tree in Fernando Po were planted in the Gold Coast, modern-day Ghana. The French also had a hand in the expansion of the chocolate craze. They were busy cultivating cacao in the Ivory Coast of Africa. By the end of the nineteenth century, Germany and England brought chocolate cultivation to their colonies.
The quick and easy production of chocolate today allows for the sweet elixir to be manipulated into countless solids and liquids. There is a size of chocolate for every person. There is a taste of chocolate for every person. But most importantly, there is a history of chocolate much deeper than the time you were five and picked out a candy bar at the local convenience store. Thousands of years have brought chocolate to where it is today, and it could never have been done without each civilization preparing it in countless different ways.
The history of chocolate is rooted in the ancient Mesoamerican civilizations of the Olmec, Maya and Aztec.
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Widespread cultivation of cacao trees did not occur until the plant was introduced to the Mayans around the fourth century A.D., several centuries after the collapse of the Olmec Empire. The Maya Empire stretched from the Yucatán peninsula in Central America to the Chiapas and Pacific coast of Guatemala, the perfect climate for cacao tree cultivation.
Maya civilization was one of great intellectual, artistic and spiritual development. Stone palaces, tombs and temples were constructed with images of cacao pods carved or painted on the walls. The cacao bean was an important symbol in daily Maya life.
The history of chocolate in the Maya Empire also is evident in their books, usually with cacao being held by a god or goddess. The Maya consumed chocolate in a variety of ways. The flavoring of solid chocolate ranged from sweet honey to burning hot chili. Bitter brews were used by the nobility and at sacred rituals. Although some liked it hot, mostly it was guzzled cold. To achieve a frothy layer atop the drink, the chocolate was poured chest-high from a small container to a larger one on the ground.
However, as mighty as the Maya Empire was, its unfortunate collapse led to the reign of Quetzacoatl, the Toltec king. Quetzacoatl was believed to be the god of the air, whose main mission in life was to bring the seeds to the cacao tree from Eden to man and to instruct humans on how to cultivate the crop. After going insane from drinking an elixir which was supposed to cure his illness, Quetzacoatl sailed away on a small raft, promising to return to reclaim his kingdom. This legend became a significant part of Aztec belief.
When Hernán Cortés arrived in Mesoamerica in 1519, Montezuma II, the Aztec's Emperor, believed him to be the reincarnation of Quetzacoatl. Because of this confusion, Cortés was able to gain access into the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán, where Montezuma showered him and his soldiers with numerous gifts, one being a cacao plantation. Cortés immediately realized the cacao bean possessed a strong economic value both as food and currency and, after he masterminded the collapse of the Aztec Empire, he set about growing cacao trees.
Since it was cacao was easy to grow and profitable to sell, Cortés and other Spaniards quickly got rich. Before long, the Spanish had cacao plantations in Peru, Mexico, Jamaica and Venezuela. Although cacao production has spread all over the world, the best beans still are cultivated in these Mesoamerican lands.
In 1585, the history of chocolate hit a widespread boom. A fleet loaded with chocolate sailed from Mesoamerica to Seville to begin commercial trade, beginning Europe's chocolate craze. Chocolate spread to other countries, each establishing their own trade routes, plantations and processing facilities.
The Dutch brought cacao trees to their East Indian states, later spreading to New Guinea, the Philippines and Indonesia. Portugal planted trees in Brazil and, in the early nineteenth century, they migrated across the Atlantic to the islands of São Tomé and Fernando Po, off the African coast. In 1879, cuttings from a tree in Fernando Po were planted in the Gold Coast, modern-day Ghana. The French also had a hand in the expansion of the chocolate craze. They were busy cultivating cacao in the Ivory Coast of Africa. By the end of the nineteenth century, Germany and England brought chocolate cultivation to their colonies.
The quick and easy production of chocolate today allows for the sweet elixir to be manipulated into countless solids and liquids. There is a size of chocolate for every person. There is a taste of chocolate for every person. But most importantly, there is a history of chocolate much deeper than the time you were five and picked out a candy bar at the local convenience store. Thousands of years have brought chocolate to where it is today, and it could never have been done without each civilization preparing it in countless different ways.
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