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Magnum Ice Cream: coffee beans |
Chocolate. National Chocolate Day. A reason to celebrate. For most of us, the word conjures images of a sweet, smooth treat that melts in the mouth. But that wasn’t the actual origin, either in taste or in format.
Depending on which version of history you subscribe to, either three or four thousand years ago, and in either Ecuador or Mexico, early civilization turned the fruit of the cacao plant into chocolate. While processing methods varied, most often the beans were roasted and ground into a powder then diluted with water and used during rituals and sometimes as medicine.
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| Wikipedia: mage from a Maya ceramic depicting a container of frothed chocolate |
Centuries later, the Mayans enhanced the recipe, adding chilies and cornmeal to the brew, then poured the concoction from a pot held over the head into one on the ground, over and over again, to create a thick, foamy beverage they called xocalatl, which means “bitter water”. There is archeological evidence that proves chocolate consumption around 1900 BC on the west coast of Mexico, and on the east coast by 1750 BC.
The Mayans used chocolate by 600 BC in official ceremonies, religious rituals, feasts, weddings, funerals, and for medicine. However, there is no mention of commoners being included in these festivities. And, only adult men were permitted to consume the beverage, as the belief was that women and children shouldn’t be subjected to its hallucinogenic effects. From 1200 BC to 900 BC, beans were imported and exchanged for turquoise with local tribes. The Mayans introduced chocolate to the Aztecs.
After the Mayan Empire collapsed around 1000 AD, control of the coco industry scattered as did the people groups. Evidence of chocolate has been found in the southern US and was used by the elite of the Puebloans.
Within a couple of centuries, the Aztecs rose to the top of the hierarchy, and they also viewed chocolate as a drink for the elite. The only exceptions were the long-distance coca traders, known as pochteca, who carried the beans from field to market, and soldiers in war. Apparently, chocolate was considered a stimulant, and both occupations needed all the energy they could get.
It was during this time that the addition of honey, ground vanilla, dried flowers, and annatto were added to enhance the flavor of the beverage.
You might wonder how valuable was coca? In the 1500s, the Spanish recording the value. In 1545, 30 beans was worth one rabbit; one bean could be traded for a large tomato; and 100 beans could purchase a turkey hen.
Which, as you can imagine, soon led to counterfeiting.
Yes, producing fake coffee beans or coca powder became a thing. Substitutes included a dough made of amaranth, wax, or broken avocado pits. How disappointed the buyer would be!
The Mayans used chocolate by 600 BC in official ceremonies, religious rituals, feasts, weddings, funerals, and for medicine. However, there is no mention of commoners being included in these festivities. And, only adult men were permitted to consume the beverage, as the belief was that women and children shouldn’t be subjected to its hallucinogenic effects. From 1200 BC to 900 BC, beans were imported and exchanged for turquoise with local tribes. The Mayans introduced chocolate to the Aztecs.
After the Mayan Empire collapsed around 1000 AD, control of the coco industry scattered as did the people groups. Evidence of chocolate has been found in the southern US and was used by the elite of the Puebloans.
Within a couple of centuries, the Aztecs rose to the top of the hierarchy, and they also viewed chocolate as a drink for the elite. The only exceptions were the long-distance coca traders, known as pochteca, who carried the beans from field to market, and soldiers in war. Apparently, chocolate was considered a stimulant, and both occupations needed all the energy they could get.
It was during this time that the addition of honey, ground vanilla, dried flowers, and annatto were added to enhance the flavor of the beverage.
You might wonder how valuable was coca? In the 1500s, the Spanish recording the value. In 1545, 30 beans was worth one rabbit; one bean could be traded for a large tomato; and 100 beans could purchase a turkey hen.
Which, as you can imagine, soon led to counterfeiting.
Yes, producing fake coffee beans or coca powder became a thing. Substitutes included a dough made of amaranth, wax, or broken avocado pits. How disappointed the buyer would be!
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Wikipedia: A Man Milling Cacao into Chocolate with a Metate and a Mano, c. 1680-1780 by an unknown Spanish artist |
While no official record confirms exactly when chocolate arrived in Europe, legend has it that Cortes brought it to Spain in 1528, following his contact with the Aztecs. However, the Spanish didn’t appreciate the bitter taste, so they added sugar and/or honey to sweeten. Unfortunately, only the wealthy could afford this tastier version, including the Catholic monks who used it to “aid religious practices”.
Chocolate remained a well-kept secret by the Spanish until 1615, when Louis XIII married the daughter of the Spanish king. She brought samples of chocolate to the royal courts of France. Very shortly after, special houses or restaurant/shops in Britain boasted the special concoction. As the trend reached all of Europe, many nations set up cacao plantations in countries along the equator.
Chocolate remained a well-kept secret by the Spanish until 1615, when Louis XIII married the daughter of the Spanish king. She brought samples of chocolate to the royal courts of France. Very shortly after, special houses or restaurant/shops in Britain boasted the special concoction. As the trend reached all of Europe, many nations set up cacao plantations in countries along the equator.
In the 18th century, chocolate was considered southern European, aristocratic, and Catholic.
But all that changed when a new patent was granted to British apothecary Walter Churchman for a water-powered engine to grind the beans and produce a fine powder. This patent was purchased by JS Fry & Sons in 1789. Water-powered milling was already in use in America (1765) and in France (1776), and this process quickly spread to all of Europe.
In 1828, the chocolate press changed the way the beans were processed. The cocoa butter was squeezed from the beans, leaving a dry powder behind, which was then mixed with liquids and poured into molds. Once solidified, an edible bar of chocolate was the result. In that same year, Coenraad van Houten patented the Dutch cocoa process, which removed the cocoa butter, rendering the powder dry enough to form into a cake that could then be pulverized into a powder again. Unfortunately, other producers tried to take advantage of the process, using inferior ingredients. Even the large name companies, such as Cadbury, were guilty of this, which ultimately resulted in the establishment of food standards laws.
The price of chocolate dropped in the 1890s and 1900s as production shifted from the Americas to Asia and Africa. The cheaper price tag meant more people could afford the beverage, and consumption increased dramatically.
This increased pressure on demand also, unfortunately, meant that the de facto slavery process used by the Portuguese to provide labor for their plantations in Ecuador and Sao Tome and Ghana. In 1906, Fry’s, Cadbury’s, and Rowntree’s boycotted plantations in these territories that used slave labor, resulting in better working conditions for the laborers.
Cacao beans are still used in the production of chocolate in all its forms, and the options haven’t changed much in the past 300 years or so, apart from mechanization of the process, shorter transportation times, and an increased population.
Suffice it to say, chocolate is still a favorite for many people, with an average consumption per year of 2.2 pounds.
Sorry to all who have been shorted because I ate too much!
But all that changed when a new patent was granted to British apothecary Walter Churchman for a water-powered engine to grind the beans and produce a fine powder. This patent was purchased by JS Fry & Sons in 1789. Water-powered milling was already in use in America (1765) and in France (1776), and this process quickly spread to all of Europe.
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Wikipedia Pre-1911 advertisement for Fry's chocolate |
The price of chocolate dropped in the 1890s and 1900s as production shifted from the Americas to Asia and Africa. The cheaper price tag meant more people could afford the beverage, and consumption increased dramatically.
This increased pressure on demand also, unfortunately, meant that the de facto slavery process used by the Portuguese to provide labor for their plantations in Ecuador and Sao Tome and Ghana. In 1906, Fry’s, Cadbury’s, and Rowntree’s boycotted plantations in these territories that used slave labor, resulting in better working conditions for the laborers.
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Wikipedia: Inspecting cocoa beans in the Gold Coast, in modern day Ghana in 1957. |
Suffice it to say, chocolate is still a favorite for many people, with an average consumption per year of 2.2 pounds.
Sorry to all who have been shorted because I ate too much!
While chocolate isn’t specifically mentioned in A Fresh Start for Elizabeth, it is a popular ingredient in many recipes.