For a food that seems so familiar, most of us know surprisingly little about the real origins and history of chocolate. I counted myself in this group until very recently when I picked up a copy of a book titled The True History of Chocolate, by Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe. Published in 1996, its 268 pages of meticulously researched, fascinating facts and speculation about the origin and development of the food we call chocolate.

I wonder how many of us would even recognize a cacao pod if one happened to fall on our head? Of course, such an event is highly unlikely unless one happens to be in a very small number of places in certain regions of the world. The cacao tree simply refuses to grow outside of a very narrow range of latitudes and weather conditions. Another crucial factor in the successful cultivation of the tree is making sure that the right insects are around to pollinate the flowers, a fact that wasnt known when some early attempts were made to transplant the trees.

As the authors mention, if you hold a cacao pod in one hand and a piece of chocolate in any form in the other, you would never suspect that the one was made from the other. In fact, for nine-tenths of its long history, chocolate was drunk, not eaten. Consumption of solid chocolate by the masses is a relatively recent development. So how did chocolate get from the forests of Central America, where it began as drink for the royal courts of the Maya in the Yucatan Peninsula, to your pantry in the form of a Hershey Bar? Seems like a long trip, doesnt it? Furthermore, why is chocolate thought of a product of Switzerland? How did the Swiss manage to dominate the chocolate world? Can you think of two more different environments than the jungles of the Yucatan and the Swiss Alps?

The story is more fascinating than you can imagine and involves Columbus, the Conquistadors, the fall of the Aztec Empire, the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution, and last but not least, Milton Snavely Hershey.

When first introduced to Europe, chocolate was only for the nobles, who endlessly debated it nutritional and medicinal properties. In fact, because of the dominance of the Catholic Church, long debates were held as to whether or not chocolate was actually a food and whether, as such, eating it broke the fasting rules in place at the time.

The generally accepted first meeting between Europeans and the cacao bean took place in 1502 when Columbus anchored off the island of Guanaja, north of mainland Honduras. It was his fourth voyage, and he unfortunately died without ever tasting chocolate.

What followed was the Spanish conquest of Central America and the eventual return of cacao to Europe where it did not actually receive rave reviews. But the story is long one, and to get all the details, pick up a copy of the book. Its a wonderful story, a great history lesson, and may leave you with the desire to sample not just Hershey Bars, but some of the other more exotic chocolate products that are available these days.

Note: You may freely publish the above article in any way you wish, as long as the author\'s name and links are left intact.

Pete Cullen runs the website http://www.for-chocolate-lovers-only.com

Visit http://www.for-chocolate-lovers-only.com for more info.

White Chocolate - The Not-So-Chocolate Chocolate
Although its called chocolate, white chocolate isnt really chocolate at all. A hybrid that does derive its roots from the same cacao plant, the white ...

Hershey Chocolate - The All American Treat
I've grown up around the famous Hershey chocolate because I live only thirty minutes away from Hershey, Pennsylvania. It is probably flowing through m...

Cacao Beans - Conching
Cacao beans are the most important ingredient in finished fine chocolates. Without a high quality bean, the process is for naught. Staring with the be...

History of Chocolate Truffles
The invention of the cocoa press in 1828 made possible separating the natural fat in cocoa beans, called cocoa butter, from the bean solids. This not ...

Overindulge in Gourmet Chocolates
Many people spend tons of money on fine wines and often pay an extraordinary amount of money for a single bottle of wine. Not many people would guess...

The Joy Of Gourmet Chocolate
Like a fine wine, gourmet chocolate is the thing to which our palates instantly respond ruining us forever for the average store-sold candy bar. Whil...

History of Chocolate Gifts
Chocolate has long been given as a gift, particularly as a gift of affection or passion.The forerunner to chocolate was the Aztec drink xocoatl, a mix...

Chocolate Cake
Theres an old saying that says that you will not know whats heaven like until you have not tasted chocolate. For a chocolate lover like me, I couldnt ...

Party Chocolate Fountain
The number of chocolate fountains should not exceed the amount needed to feed your party guests' hunger for dessert. The selection of a chocolate foun...

Classification of Chocolate A Sweet Gift for Any Time of the Year
Many different types of chocolate are available for consumption, but what is the real difference between them? Chocolates are classified by the perce...

The Chocolate Diet
You've heard of the South Beach Diet, the Hollywood Diet, and of course, the Atkins Diet. Well, I'm starting my own new diet. It's called the Chocolat...

The History Of Chocolate
How Chocolate Became Such A Popular FlavorThe chocolate is such a world wide super commodity that it deserves some research into its background and hi...

Gourmet Gift Ideas for Chocoholics
If you've ever watched Charlie and the Chocolate factory, you know what a chocoholic truly is. There are so many people in the world who are chocoholi...

Fine Chocolates - Working The Bean
When it comes to making fine chocolates, the makers of the best know it all starts with a simple bean. But, how does chocolate go from a bean to what ...

Mastering The Challenges Of Chocolate Candy Making
The art of chocolate candy making has been employed for many years to entice those people who love sweets. An individual has the ability to make perfe...

Fine Chocolate | RSS 2.0 | Closed.