Chocolates - History
At the begining of the 16th century, during the conquest of
Mexico, the Spaniards learnt about cocoa.
 For
the indigenous population (the Aztecs), the cocoa bean was of divine
origin; that is why Linnaeus named the cacao tree Theobroma cacao (Theobroma
= food of the gods).
The beans were roasted and ground, and then diluted with water to
obtain a cloudy drink, to which vanilla and other spices were added.
The Aztecs called this mixture "cacau-atl".
On the Spaniards return, news travelled quickly and their recipe
was implemented throughout Europe. At around 1700, the "cocoa" drink
(to which honey or sugar were added) was widely known.
The colonial powers of the time exported the cacao tree to Africa
and Asia.
Production, consumption and trading of cocoa increased constantly.
However, the most rapid expansion occurred in the 19th century,
after 1828, when Van Houten discovered a method for removing a large
proportion of the fat from the cocoa butter.
This marked the start of the production of bars and slabs of
chocolate. |
