Aztec Chocolate: The Sweet History of the First Chocolatiers

Do you like chocolate? Well, chocolate dates back further than you might think! So come on, let’s learn all about the history of chocolate. Chocolate comes from a Cacao tree; Cacao pod’s grow off of the tree trunk and the branches and inside the pod is the Cacao bean. Fun fact: In Greek, Cacao tree is Theobroma Cacao meaning food for the Gods, because when it was first discovered it was very special to the Tribes in South America such as the Mayan's and the Aztec’s. Cacao trees need hot and wet climate to grow. They grow up to 26 feet tall and are pollinated by Midges. The Aztecs (the people who inhabited northern Mexico from 1325 to 1521) collected the Cacao pods. The Aztecs did not make the chocolate bars that we know today. Instead, they made it into a drink, Xocoatl. But it is thought that they did not drink it hot, they drank it room temperature. Strangely enough the chocolate that they drank was bitter and sometimes used as medicine. Cacao seeds are covered in a strange pulp. The Aztecs would leave the Cacao seeds (with the pulp still on) outside to ferment in the hot sun. They would then grind the dried beans into powder to make the drink. Fun fact: the Aztecs believed that the Cacao tree was a gift from Quetzalcoutl, a feathered serpent God! Cacao beans where very valuable and was used as currency, rewards to soldiers who had won battles and even drunk at Royal feasts! In 1502 a European man named Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas. He brought a very small amount Cacao back to Europe. Only wealthy people could afford it and it was not a very big success. But in 1519 Herman Cortex, a Spanish Conquistador, sailed to the Americas, he saw an Aztec Emperor drinking Xocolatl. He returned to Spain with a huge amount of Cacao. It was an immediate success and soon no wealthy home was complete without a big jug of hot chocolate. Sweeteners were added, as well as spices to the drink. But Cacao trees need a hot moist climate to grow and Europe with its snowy, rainy weather was not an ideal place to grow Cacao trees. So, the European imported Cacao and stored it. It was not until the 19th Century the first chocolate bar was not made. I have enjoyed learning about chocolate today and I hope you have too! So next time you eat chocolate think about its fascinating history.