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The History of Chocolate is a Record with Centuries of
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Author: Nicole Martins
Topic: Food
Viewed: 54 time(s)
[ Not Rated Yet ]
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The history of chocolate doesn't mention the delicious
confectionery's source until the ancient Mayan and Aztec
cultures came upon and recognized the value of the cacao plant.
Chocolate makers used the products of the plant for currency and
units of calculation. The first cocoa plantations were said to
have been in northern South America where the Mayans migrated in
about 600 AD. Christopher Columbus reportedly brought the
valuable beans back to King Ferdinand after his fourth visit to
the New World. These beans and their value were overlooked at
the time in the shadow of numerous other treasures Columbus had
found. The first notable recognition of chocolate was when
Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez attended the court of Emperor
Montezuma of Mexico. Cortez brought the treasured chocolate back
to the royal court of King Charles the Fifth. The King had Monks
that were hidden away in Spanish monasteries process the cocoa
beans and was able to keep chocolate a secret for almost a
century. This created a profitable industry for Spain who then
proceeded to plant cocoa trees in its overseas colonies.
Finally, an Italian traveler by the name of Antonio Carletti
came upon the valuable chocolate and introduced it to other
parts of Europe. The first chocolate house was reported to have
been opened in 1657 in London by a Frenchman. Chocolate was
considered to be a beverage strictly for the upper class and was
priced accordingly. Chocolate didn?t make its way to the United
States until 1765 when it was introduced by Irish
chocolate-maker John Hanan who imported cocoa beans from the
West Indies into Massachusetts, and refined them with the help
of an American Dr. James Baker. Together they set up America?s
first chocolate mill and by 1780 were making the now famous
Baker?s ? chocolate. The Dutch came up with the cocoa press
which simplified the process of making chocolate and lowered the
price making it more accessible to everyone. Not long after
Joseph Fry and Son made a discovery by adding back in some of
the cocoa butter removed in processing as well as sugar. They
were left with a paste that could be molded and voila, the
chocolate bar was born. That was in 1859. From there chocolate
production just got tastier, better and became one of the most
popular gifts for any occasion. (see:
http://www.a1-food-gifts.com/gourmet-chocolate.htm )
About the author:
Nicole Martins is a contributing author and publisher to
http://www.a1-food-gifts.com, an online buyer?s guide for
sending unique food gifts.
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