The history of chocolate, and its creation from the beans of the cacao tree, can be traced to the ancient Maya, and even then to the Ancient Olmecs of southern Mexico. The word “chocolate” can bring up images of tasty truffles and sweet candy bars, but the confection of today bears little resemblance to the chocolate in the past. Throughout much of it’s history, chocolate was a bitter beverage, not a rich-tasting sweet treat. But after it became popular in Europe and the streets of colonial America, chocolate soon evolved into the universally loved commodity it is today.
Who Invented Chocolate
Chocolate is made from the fruit of cacao trees, which are actually native to Central and South America. The fruits are called pods and each pod has around 40 cacao beans. The beans are dried and roasted to create cocoa beans. It’s unclear exactly when cacao came on the scene or who invented it. But it’s said that Chocolate hagiography credits Joseph Fry with “inventing” the first chocolate bar in 1847.
Mayan Chocolate
The Olmecs passed their cacao knowledge onto the Central American Maya who not only chocolate, they admired it. The Mayan written history mentions chocolate drinks being used in celebrations and to finalize important transactions and ceremonies. Despite chocolate’s importance in Mayan culture, it wasn’t admired by the powerful and wealthy but was available to almost everyone. Mayan chocolate was thick and frothy and sometimes combined with chill peppers, water, or honey.
The Aztecs took chocolate admiration to a different level. they believed cacao was given to them by their gods. like the Maya, they enjoyed the caffeinated kick of hot or cold, spicy chocolate beverages in ornate containers, but they also used cacao beans as currency to buy food and other goods. In Aztec culture, cacao beans were considered more valuable than gold.
Cacao Powder
When chocolate first came on the scene in Europe, it was a luxury only the rich could enjoy. But in 1828, Dutch chemist Coenraad van Houten discovered a way to treat cacao beans with alkaline salts to make a powdered chocolate that was easier to mix with water. The process became known as “Dutch processing” and the chocolate produced was called cacao powder or “Dutch cocoa.” Both Dutch processing and the chocolate press helped make chocolate affordable for everyone.
Chocolate Today
Most modern chocolate is highly refined and mass-produced, although some chocolates still make their chocolate creations by hand and keep the ingredients as pure as possible. Chocolate is available to drink but is more often enjoyed as an edible confection in desserts and baked goods.
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https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1301436
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