The History of Chocolate is as Rich as the Chocolate Itself

The history of chocolate begins in South America, with the Aztec and Mayan cultures. The Mayans are believed to have started plantations of cocoa trees, and used it as money, but it was the Aztec’s who taught the Spaniards to make a chocolate drink.

Cortez learned how to make the wonderful drink during his conquest of the Aztecs. He brought the recipe back to Spain with him, where it remained a secret for nearly 100 years. Imagine the secret of chocolate known to a few people in Spain for nearly a century.

Eventually, the secret got out and spread like wildfire across Europe. France once considered it to be a noxious drug, but then queen Anne declared it to be the drink of the French royal court. Chocolate did not become popular in England until the late 1600's, so chocolate is still relatively a new concept.

Chocolate could only be had as cocoa or in liquid form until 1879 when Randolphe Lindt had the idea to put the cocoa butter back into it. Adding the cocoa butter helps to put the snap into the chocolate while allowing it to melt on your tongue. This revolutionized the making of chocolate and brought the price way down.

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Chocolate | Candy | Mixed Candy