Where did chocolate originate from?
Chocolate, also named Theobroma Cacao or 'food of the Gods', has long been a luxury fit for kings and the elite. In fact, the only written evidence for the classic Mayan use of cacao survived on the intricately carved vessels buried along with the elite during the last part of the 5th century AD. Cacao, in early history, was eaten only by royalty, nobles, warriors, merchants and soldiers.
Cacao originally came from the pre-Mayan or Mayan inhabitants of the Yucatan peninsula in Southeastern Mexico and Guatemala sometime before 250AD. The Aztecs shared their passion for drinking cacao. While the Mayans drank it cold, the Aztecs drank it hot. Each flavored their cacao drink with various items including vanilla, chili, and other spices. By the 1500s the chocolate bean was being used as a medium of exchange in markets in all the principal towns of Central America. A good turkey hen was worth 100 cacao beans, a turkey egg was worth 3 cacao beans, an avocado was also worth 3 cacao beans, a small rabbit was worth 30 cacao beans, while a tamale was worth 4 cacao beans.
If chocolate originated in Central America, how did it spread to the rest of the world?
Christopher Columbus first encountered cacao on an island near Honduras during his last voyage in 1502 when he came across a Mayan transporting cacao beans in a canoe. However, it wasn't until 1544 that chocolates were first documented to have arrived in Spain when a group of Mayan nobles (from Alta Verapaz, Guatemala) visited Prince Philip of Spain, bringing him chocolate among other things. Once chocolate had arrived in Europe, it fanned out into the rest of the world, carried by European colonists. The Portuguese introduced it to Sao Tome, the British brought it to Sri Lanka, the Dutch to the East Indies and the Spaniards to the Philippines.
Why is it called chocolate?
It is commonly believed that the word chocolate was derived from the Nahuatl word chocolatl (cacao water). However, some disagree with this version of events. Another possible theory is that the current name, chocolate, came about when the Spaniards blended the Mayan word Chocol (hot), with the Aztec atl (water). Most likely the Spaniards had difficulty pronouncing -tl, so they replaced L with E, making Chocolate.
How does chocolate grow and where does it grow today?
There are 22 species of cacao, but only two are farmed. T. Cacao, or Criollo, is very superior in flavor, but unfortunately has low productivity. T. Bicolor, or Forastero (which now provides 80% of the world's cacao), has larger beans and is more productive than Criollo but has a more bitter taste. Trinitario, a combination of the two cacao species, was created by accident in Trinidad. It combines the best qualities of the two species leading to superior taste and high yield. The cacao tree only grows between 20 degrees north and 20 degrees south of the equator. The tree needs a lot of moisture and temperatures that remain above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Young trees bear fruit by their 3rd or 4th year and there are generally two major harvests per year. Cacao pods, which are quite large, contain 30-40 almond shaped seeds which are surrounded by a sweet, juicy pulp. Despite the fact that cacao was found and named in Mexico, Africa now accounts for over half of the world's cacao production while Mexico only accounts for around 1-2%.
How is cacao processed into the chocolate we eat?
Chocolate is created from cacao through a series of roughly 10 steps which include fermentation, sun drying, and roasting.
How did milk chocolate come about?
In 1867, Henry Nestle (1814-1890), a Swiss chemist, invented a process for making powdered milk through evaporation. But, it wasn't until 1879 that milk chocolate was born when Daniel Peter combined Nestlé's powder with cacao to produce the first milk chocolate bar. And, it was the famous Cadbury who introduced the first chocolate box containing chocolate candies.
What is white chocolate?
White chocolate is derived from chocolate, but it does not contain cocoa solids. While the cacao bean is being processed, it is typically separated into cocoa solids and fatty content. While milk, semi-sweet and dark chocolates are then recombined, white chocolate is not, leaving out the cocoa solids. While white chocolate certainly is delicious, it does not contain antioxidants like other chocolate, and thus does not give some of the health benefits found in dark chocolate.
What are the health benefits of chocolate?
Not only does chocolate taste good, but it is also good for us! In 1990, the French doctor, Hervé Robert, published a book extolling the health benefits of chocolate. He revealed that chocolate contains various components that make it a great antidepressant and anti stress agent. He stated what those of us who eat chocolate already know, that eating chocolate makes people happy.
But, chocolate doesn't just make people happy, it is also good for you. Because chocolate originates from a plant, cacao, it has many of the health benefits that vegetables do. Dark chocolate has a lot of antioxidants, which protects us from some aspects of aging. Most notably on the heart. Dark, chocolate has been shown to help lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol
Chocolate, also named Theobroma Cacao or 'food of the Gods', has long been a luxury fit for kings and the elite. In fact, the only written evidence for the classic Mayan use of cacao survived on the intricately carved vessels buried along with the elite during the last part of the 5th century AD. Cacao, in early history, was eaten only by royalty, nobles, warriors, merchants and soldiers.
Cacao originally came from the pre-Mayan or Mayan inhabitants of the Yucatan peninsula in Southeastern Mexico and Guatemala sometime before 250AD. The Aztecs shared their passion for drinking cacao. While the Mayans drank it cold, the Aztecs drank it hot. Each flavored their cacao drink with various items including vanilla, chili, and other spices. By the 1500s the chocolate bean was being used as a medium of exchange in markets in all the principal towns of Central America. A good turkey hen was worth 100 cacao beans, a turkey egg was worth 3 cacao beans, an avocado was also worth 3 cacao beans, a small rabbit was worth 30 cacao beans, while a tamale was worth 4 cacao beans.
If chocolate originated in Central America, how did it spread to the rest of the world?
Christopher Columbus first encountered cacao on an island near Honduras during his last voyage in 1502 when he came across a Mayan transporting cacao beans in a canoe. However, it wasn't until 1544 that chocolates were first documented to have arrived in Spain when a group of Mayan nobles (from Alta Verapaz, Guatemala) visited Prince Philip of Spain, bringing him chocolate among other things. Once chocolate had arrived in Europe, it fanned out into the rest of the world, carried by European colonists. The Portuguese introduced it to Sao Tome, the British brought it to Sri Lanka, the Dutch to the East Indies and the Spaniards to the Philippines.
Why is it called chocolate?
It is commonly believed that the word chocolate was derived from the Nahuatl word chocolatl (cacao water). However, some disagree with this version of events. Another possible theory is that the current name, chocolate, came about when the Spaniards blended the Mayan word Chocol (hot), with the Aztec atl (water). Most likely the Spaniards had difficulty pronouncing -tl, so they replaced L with E, making Chocolate.
How does chocolate grow and where does it grow today?
There are 22 species of cacao, but only two are farmed. T. Cacao, or Criollo, is very superior in flavor, but unfortunately has low productivity. T. Bicolor, or Forastero (which now provides 80% of the world's cacao), has larger beans and is more productive than Criollo but has a more bitter taste. Trinitario, a combination of the two cacao species, was created by accident in Trinidad. It combines the best qualities of the two species leading to superior taste and high yield. The cacao tree only grows between 20 degrees north and 20 degrees south of the equator. The tree needs a lot of moisture and temperatures that remain above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Young trees bear fruit by their 3rd or 4th year and there are generally two major harvests per year. Cacao pods, which are quite large, contain 30-40 almond shaped seeds which are surrounded by a sweet, juicy pulp. Despite the fact that cacao was found and named in Mexico, Africa now accounts for over half of the world's cacao production while Mexico only accounts for around 1-2%.
How is cacao processed into the chocolate we eat?
Chocolate is created from cacao through a series of roughly 10 steps which include fermentation, sun drying, and roasting.
How did milk chocolate come about?
In 1867, Henry Nestle (1814-1890), a Swiss chemist, invented a process for making powdered milk through evaporation. But, it wasn't until 1879 that milk chocolate was born when Daniel Peter combined Nestlé's powder with cacao to produce the first milk chocolate bar. And, it was the famous Cadbury who introduced the first chocolate box containing chocolate candies.
What is white chocolate?
White chocolate is derived from chocolate, but it does not contain cocoa solids. While the cacao bean is being processed, it is typically separated into cocoa solids and fatty content. While milk, semi-sweet and dark chocolates are then recombined, white chocolate is not, leaving out the cocoa solids. While white chocolate certainly is delicious, it does not contain antioxidants like other chocolate, and thus does not give some of the health benefits found in dark chocolate.
What are the health benefits of chocolate?
Not only does chocolate taste good, but it is also good for us! In 1990, the French doctor, Hervé Robert, published a book extolling the health benefits of chocolate. He revealed that chocolate contains various components that make it a great antidepressant and anti stress agent. He stated what those of us who eat chocolate already know, that eating chocolate makes people happy.
But, chocolate doesn't just make people happy, it is also good for you. Because chocolate originates from a plant, cacao, it has many of the health benefits that vegetables do. Dark chocolate has a lot of antioxidants, which protects us from some aspects of aging. Most notably on the heart. Dark, chocolate has been shown to help lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol