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A Brief History of Chocolate
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The tasty secret of the cacao (kah
KOW) tree was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests
of the Americas. The pods of this tree contain seeds that can be processed into
chocolate. The story
of how chocolate grew from a local Mesoamerican beverage into a global sweet
encompasses
many cultures and continents.
The first people known to have made chocolate were the ancient cultures of
Mexico and
Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground
cacao
seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink.
Later, the Spanish conquistadors brought the seeds back home to Spain, where new
recipes
were created. Eventually, and the drink’s popularity spread throughout Europe.
Since then,
new technologies and innovations have changed the texture and taste of
chocolate,
but it still remains one of the world’s favourite flavours.
Chocolate: A European
Sweet
Until the 1500s, no one in Europe knew
anything at all about the delicious drink that would later
become a huge hit worldwide. Spain’s search for a route to riches led
its explorers to the
Americas and introduced them to chocolate’s delicious flavour.
Eventually, the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs made it possible to import
chocolate back home,
where it quickly became a court favourite. And within 100 years, the love of
chocolate spread
throughout the rest of Europe.
Chocolate: A Contemporary
Confection
For hundreds of years,
the chocolate-making process remained relatively unaltered. But by
the mid 1700s, the blossoming Industrial Revolution saw the emergence of
innovations that
changed the future of chocolate.
A steady stream of new inventions and advertising helped set the stage for solid
chocolate bars
to become the globally favoured sweet it is today.
An Industrial Age Innovation
From Prehispanic
times until the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, chocolate was largely a
handmade product. Time consuming and expensive to produce, chocolate was
available
only to the wealthy as a beverage.
But new machinery of the industrial age made it possible to create solid
chocolate and
mass-produce confectionery in enormous quantities at a fraction of the original
cost.
For the first time, most of the general public could afford this tasty treat.
If you would like to learn more about the history of chocolate, visit:
www.fmnh.org/chocolate
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The Old Town Hall
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Shropshire
SY12 0EP
Tel: 01691 624555
email: info@chocolates-uk.co.uk