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The discovery of Cocoa by the Olmecs
Historians believe the Olmecs first discovered that the cocoa fruit was edible by observing rats eating
it with gluttonous vigour. They soon realized the tree produced a fruit with a thousand flavours and nearly as many uses.
The Olmecs (1500-400 BC) were
almost certainly the first humans to consume chocolate, originally in the form of a drink. They crushed the cocoa beans, mixed them with water and added
spices, chillies and herbs (Coe's Theory). They began cultivating cocoa in equatorial Mexico. Over time, the Mayans (600 BC) and Aztecs (400 AD) developed
successful methods for cultivating cocoa as well. The cocoa bean was used as a monetary unit and as a measuring unit, 400 beans equalling a Zontli and 8000
equalling a Xiquipilli. During their wars with the Aztecs and the Mayans, the Chimimeken people's preferred method of levying taxes in conquered regions was
in the form of cocoa beans.
For these civilizations, cocoa was a symbol of abundance. It was used in religious rituals dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the
Aztec god responsible for bringing the cocoa tree to man, to Chak ek Chuah, the
Mayan patron saint of cocoa and as an offering at the funerals of noblemen.
Cocoa production advanced as people migrated throughout Meso-America but
consumption of the drink remained a privilege for the upper classes and for
soldiers during battle. By this time, the re-invigorating and fortifying virtues
of cocoa were becoming widely recognized and embraced.
Discovery and Commercialization of Cocoa (16th century)
In 1502, Columbus got his first glimpse of cocoa beans on a native canoe during a stop-over in Nicaragua,
but he did not appreciate its awesome potential value. The true importance of
this "brown gold" was not recognized until Hernando Cortez drank it with the
Aztec emperor Montezuma, and brought it back to the Spanish court in 1528 along
with the equipment necessary for brewing the drink. Even then, it is unlikely
anyone envisaged its ultimate importance as a world commodity.
Following
a victorious war against the native tribes and the downfall of the Aztec
civilization, Cortez intensified cultivation efforts in New Spain, with the
intention of developing a lucrative trade with Europe.
The Spanish court
soon fell under the spell of this exotic elixir and adapted it to their taste,
adding cane sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and pepper. Initially Spain reserved cocoa
for its exclusive use, carefully guarding its existence from the rest of the
world. They were so successful keeping cocoa secret that when a group of English
pirates captured a Spanish galleon, not recognizing the value of the weighty
cargo of beans, they burned them!
In 1585, the first cargo of cocoa
beans arrived on the Iberian Peninsula from New Spain, launching the trade in
cocoa, and resulting in the establishment of the first chocolate shops, thus,
ushering in a new era of rapidly growing demand for this mysterious nectar from
the new world.
The expansion of cocoa in Europe (17th - 19th centuries)
During the 17th century, cocoa began arriving in other ports throughout Europe, effortlessly conquering
every region's palate. Chocolate beverages were first embraced by the French court following the royal marriage of King Louis XIII to the Spanish Princess
Anne of Austria in 1615.
In 1650 chocolate beverages first appeared in England coinciding with the arrival of tea from China and coffee from the Middle
East. For many years it remained a treat reserved for the upper classes. In 1659 the first chocolate-confection maker opened in Paris. In 1720, Italian
chocolate-makers received prizes in recognition of the quality of their products. Finally, in 1765, North America discovered the virtues of cocoa.
In this way, chocolate developed across Europe and around the world, and slowly the presentation of chocolate changed. The first chocolate lozenge
appeared in England in 1674; cocoa powder was originally produced by the Dutch in 1828; the chocolate bar originated in Great Brittan in 1830; and, the Swiss
successfully entered the chocolate market with milk chocolate in 1830, followed shortly thereafter with chocolate imbued with hazelnuts.
Thanks to this extended period of culinary and manufacturing innovation, chocolate consumption
rapidly and continuously expanded. Pharmacological uses for cocoa and cocoa
by-products were also widely explored, not too surprising given the properties
its earliest consumers attributed to it (i.e. strengthening, restorative,
aphrodisiac).
Cocoa During the Industrial Era
The industrial era led to fundamental changes for chocolate and cocoa, impacting everyone from grower to
end consumer. Spain, the first exporter of chocolate, opened the first chocolate
factory in 1780 in Barcelona, followed shortly thereafter by Germany and
Switzerland in the inexorable, relentless march towards full industrialization
of cocoa.
The origins of cocoa also gradually changed. Europeans began
increasingly to colonise Africa, and they brought the cocoa tree with them.
Cocoa was successfully planted in Sao Tome and Principe and then migrated as
plantations spread throughout the African continent. The industrial epoch led to
the slow decline of production in South America, despite its expansion from its
original growing areas to the Amazon River and saw a new cocoa empire emerge on
African soil. In effect, since the start of the 20th century, Africa has taken
the lead and has become the biggest cocoa producer.
Industrialization has had a marked democratizing effect on chocolate, transforming it from a rare
delicacy reserved for royals, to a widely available and readily affordable treat
for the masses. Not surprisingly, a plethora of new chocolate products began
appearing as it became more popular, including chocolate with dried fruits, with
liqueurs, fondu, praline, stuffed chocolates, powdered, spreads, frostings,
pastes, hard candies, soft drinks and many, many others. Either hand-made or as
a fast food, it is now an established part of the world's vocabulary and diet.
Many improvements have been made since its ancient origins as a drink. Anthelme
Brillat-Savarin poetically summed up our universal love affair with chocolate
"What is health? It is chocolate!"
Key dates
France, 1776 Doret invents a hydraulic process to grind cocoa beans into a paste, facilitating the
first large-scale production of chocolate.
Holland, 1828 Chemist
Coenraad van Houten invents a process for extracting cocoa butter, allowing for
the extraction of cocoa powder. This makes chocolate more homogenous and less
costly to produce.
England, 1847 Solid chocolate is offered to the
general public for the first time, by the English company Fry and Sons (prior to
this time, solid chocolate was available exclusively within royal courts).
Switzerland, 1830-1879 Chocolate flavored with hazelnuts is
followed by milk chocolate, developed by Daniel Peter and Henri Nestlé
respectively. During the same period, Rodolphe Lindt develops the chocolate
fondant (fondu).
United States, 1893 Sweet maker Milton Hershey
spots chocolate making equipment at the Worlds Fair in Chicago and begins
production at a factory in Pennsylvania.
Chocolate followed the French
and American infantry into the trenches of the First World War, and effectively
all US chocolate production was requisitioned for the military during the Second
World War. In France, chocolate sweets appeared between the wars, and French
pralines (chocolates filled with almond and other nut based fillings) were
considered the most fashionable. This inspired chocolate producers to experiment
with new flavors, such as almond paste, cherries in aqua vitae, nougat,
caramel...
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