Did you know when you bite into a piece of premium chocolate you're actually taking part in a 2000 year old tradition? The human race has been enjoying chocolate for over two centuries. The secret of the cacao tree was first discovered back then in the tropical rain-forests in America. What was first a MesoAmerican delicacy is now a treat enjoyed worldwide in many forms.
Premium chocolate history first started with the ancient natives in Mexico and Central America. Both the Mayans and the Aztecs were known to enjoy chocolate as a beverage. First the Maya grew cacao and made it into a beverage. The Aztecs adopted the practice. Since sugar was not available to either culture, the beverage would be very different from what modern consumers would expect. It was made from grounding up the seeds of the cacao tree and other seasonings. The grounded paste was added to hot water to make what has been described as a spicy and frothy drink.
Drinking cacao was an important part of life for people in both the Mayan and Aztec cultures. It was honored as a special drink for royalty and other prestigious people in the culture. Priests offered cacao seeds in order to honor the Gods and seeds were sometimes used as currency.
When the MesoAmerican natives were conquered, the Spanish conquistadors brought the seeds back home to Spain. The Spanish took the basic recipe for the cacao drink and created new variations, including cinnamon and other spices. The Spanish were the first to sweeten cacao with sugar. The drink was kept secret in Spain for almost 100 years before the rest of Europe caught on. Soon the practice spread like wildfire throughout the continent as high society became fans of premium chocolate drinks.
Similar to in MesoAmerica, chocolate was a sign of importance and power in Europe. Both sugar and cacao were expensive to import and so only those with a lot of resources could afford it. In France, chocolate was limited to only the members of the royal court. Wealthy Europeans created elaborate porcelain and silver serving pieces for their premium chocolate consumption.
In order to keep up with demand, Spain and many other European countries invested in plantations in the new world to grow both cacao and sugar. Cheap and slave labor kept the plantations going and the products were exported over to Europe.
This went on for centuries until mass production made chocolate accessible to more people in the 1800s. During the Industrial Revolution, steam engines helped produce a lot of chocolate cheaply and quickly, which drove down prices. Later on, the cocoa press and conching machine were invented. These allowed manufacturers to make a smooth, creamy and solid chocolate. This is the premium chocolate that modern people are familiar with today.
Premium chocolate production and consumption played a big part in the development of world politics, machinery and royalty throughout the centuries. Just something to think about the next time you take a bite of a premium chocolate treat!