Way Back When…
The history of chocolate, types of chocolate and the consumption of chocolate have proven to be a perennial source of inspirational conversation for people who have a sweet tooth, for those fighting depression or simply those who want to experiment with a natural aphrodisiac. The English word ‘chocolate’ has its origins in the Aztec word ‘xocalalt’, where ‘xococ’ means bitter and ‘alt’ means water.
The earliest history of chocolate or cacao – its main ingredient, has been traced to a place called Puerto Escondido in Honduras around 1100 BC. Cacao was used as an alcoholic beverage by the Aztecs, who associated it with the goddess of fertility, called Xochiquetzal. The longevity of the cacao beans can be said to be eternal as earthen ware containing cacao seeds from ancient times have been found as late as in 1976.
Apart from being an aphrodisiac, chocolate also served the purpose of trade and commerce throughout Central America. During the ancient period, barter system was in vogue and cacao beans were used as items of trade. An Aztec could buy himself a turkey with a hundred cacao beans.
What Does Christopher Columbus Have to Do with Chocolate?
 Christopher Columbus introduced the Europeans to the many benefits of chocolate, after his voyages in the late 15th centuries to the New Land or America, as we know it today. Cacao beans were first shipped to Spain in 1585. By 1657, chocolate was being commercially sold in England, for the first time.
Mechanical mills were used to make cocoa butter, which helped create the durable chocolate. The industrial revolution brought about the main change. In 1689, a physician by the name Hans Sloane in Jamaica developed the milk chocolate drink which was initially sold in dispensaries. This was later sold to the Cadbury brothers and the rest as you know – is history.
Variety is the Spice Of Life!
There are various types of chocolate present in the world today. The produce derived from cacao is mixed with some edible fat and finely powdered sugar to give a solid edible product which we call chocolate.
The different types of chocolate include unsweetened chocolate or pure chocolate liquor, also known as bitter chocolate is used for baking. Dark chocolate as the name suggests is without milk, milk chocolate has condensed milk or milk solids and semisweet chocolate is dark chocolate with half the sugar content and is used for cooking purposes. Bittersweet chocolate on the other hand is chocolate liquor, unsweetened with a one-third sugar and more cocoa butter, vanilla and lecithin.
Apart from this, there are chocolates rich in cocoa butter called Couverture and white chocolate which does not contain the cocoa solids. Then there are two kinds of cocoa powders, namely natural cocoa and processed cocoa.
The earliest known method of consumption of chocolate was a bitter spicy drink call xocalatl, comprising of chocolate, chile pepper, annatto and vanilla, was believed to fight fatigue. Other chocolate beverages included edibles like honey and maize gruel. Now we consume chocolate in the form of bars, nuggets, liqueurs, in cooking and baking food items.
Really Good For Your Health!
Consumption of chocolate has been scientifically linked to longevity. So a few pieces of chocolate every month could sweeten your life and make it longer.
 Chocolate is thought to be a major source of dietary copper that is essential for healthy living.
- Both cocoa and chocolate are rich in minerals like iron and magnesium.
- Chocolate also gives instant energy because of antioxidants present in it.
- A chocolate bar of 40 gram contains the same amount of phenol as a glass of red wine. These anti-oxidants have been known to reduce the risk of cancer or heart disease.
Just get yourself some chocolate and eat your way to healthy body. A word of caution though excess of any food or sweet can damage your system, so eat with care. Or better yet, join me on a Culinary Escapes food tour of Royal Oak, and experience the best in chocolate first hand.
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Culinary Escapes Staff
Culinary Escapes, LLC - Unique Food Tours of Metro Detroit
Tags: Chocolate, Chocolate History, cocoa, cocoa beans, culinary escapes, food tour, restaurant tour