Indulge Yourself in The History of Chocolate

If you are a fan of chocolate, you must know where it comes from! Chocolate comes from cocoa pods, which grow on a cacao tree. These fruits tastes nothing like chocolate but their pulp is edible and very tasty. What’s interesting about this is that chocolate does not come from the pulp of the cocoa pods but from the cocoa beans underneath the flesh. These cocoa beans or seeds are collected and poured into boxes to ferment. This process causes a chemical reaction that produces the flavors we recognize in chocolate. Four to seven days later, the cocoa beans are laid in the sun to dry. They are then ready to be roasted and ground to make cocoa. Cocoa is the basic and most important ingredient in chocolate.

Archeologists agree that cocoa was first produced by the Olmec culture back in 1500 B.C. in present-day Mexico. Their cocoa knowledge was then passed on to the Mayans and the Aztecs. These cultures mixed cocoa with spices and cinnamon to make their version of a chocolate drink. Even though this drink had a bitter taste it was very desired and considered to be “the drink of the gods.”

According to historians, Aztecs believed that this drink had spiritual powers because of its aphrodisiac and mood enhancing properties. They valued it so much that they began using it as currency to buy food and other goods.

It wasn’t until later, when cocoa was brought to Spain, that the flavor of chocolate began to change. Spaniards shared the indulgence in chocolate but not so much in the Mesoamerican culture drink recipe. They began to add their own ingredients like sugar cane, among others. As this indulgence expanded through Europe, chocolate began to take different flavors, forms, etc. It slowly became what we know today as sweet candy bars, luscious truffles, hot chocolate drinks, among other delicious sweet chocolaty treats!

Now that you know the cool history behind every piece of chocolate, what do you say about meditating on it while you enjoy a treat from Thomas Sweet?