Hey readers,
Today is b'day of one of my dear friends
and the first thing that pops in my head whilst living the memories of her
would be her crazy and almost borderline psychotic love for chocolate when
tried to pry from her hands ( I'm a proud survivor of such an episode). Anyways
it got me thinking about how chocolate was invented and its evolution to modern
age candy bar. So let me take you to the land of chocolate.
Mesoamerica also known as Aztec is where
it all began. Chocolate was first taken as an alcoholic beverage by frothing
and fermenting. The chocolate drink made by grounding beans of the Theobroma cacao
was bitter in taste and hence mixed with spices or corn puree. Maybe it was
because of this taste that its term was coined as ‘chocolate’ which came from
the word of Aztec’s Nahuatl language xocoâtl or cacahuatl which literally meant
"bitter water ". Hernando Cortez, the great Spanish explorer, during
his conquest in Mexico came upon the Aztec tribe using cocoa beans to prepare
their royal drink. Excited about this new product, Cortez took some beans back
with him to Spain. By adding some cane sugar, the chocolate drink became very
popular, especially among the Spanish aristocracy. Spain wisely started to
plant cacao trees themselves which developed into a very profitable business.
Remarkably, the Spaniards succeeded in keeping the art of the cocoa industry a
secret from the rest of Europe for nearly a hundred years.
Spanish monks, who had been involved with the processing of the cocoa beans, leaked the secret out finally and soon Europe started to develop their own cacao bean industry. Throughout Europe, the delicious chocolate drink became hailed as a health-giving food. In 1657, chocolate drinking houses started to open up, but mainly served only the rich, since the cost to make chocolate was still very expensive. As inventors created machinery, and thus eliminated the need for grinding the chocolate with ones hands, the manufacturing process became more efficient, thus less expensive, and produced an even better tasting chocolate. By 1828, the great taste of chocolate expanded to a wider audience although it wasn’t until 1847 that the first ‘candy bar’ was invented by Joseph Fry and his son, who pressed a paste made of cocoa powder and sugar into a bar shape. The chocolate bar was further developed in 1849 when John Cadbury introduced his brand of the chocolate bar. Fry and Cadbury later joined forces to become great chocolate confectioners. The first milk chocolate bar was made by Henry Nestle and Daniel Peter in 1876 by adding milk to the traditional chocolate recipe. This results in a creamier taste and smoother texture.
Spanish monks, who had been involved with the processing of the cocoa beans, leaked the secret out finally and soon Europe started to develop their own cacao bean industry. Throughout Europe, the delicious chocolate drink became hailed as a health-giving food. In 1657, chocolate drinking houses started to open up, but mainly served only the rich, since the cost to make chocolate was still very expensive. As inventors created machinery, and thus eliminated the need for grinding the chocolate with ones hands, the manufacturing process became more efficient, thus less expensive, and produced an even better tasting chocolate. By 1828, the great taste of chocolate expanded to a wider audience although it wasn’t until 1847 that the first ‘candy bar’ was invented by Joseph Fry and his son, who pressed a paste made of cocoa powder and sugar into a bar shape. The chocolate bar was further developed in 1849 when John Cadbury introduced his brand of the chocolate bar. Fry and Cadbury later joined forces to become great chocolate confectioners. The first milk chocolate bar was made by Henry Nestle and Daniel Peter in 1876 by adding milk to the traditional chocolate recipe. This results in a creamier taste and smoother texture.
So, now you know the transition of
chocolate from being served in golden goblet to being sold in golden wrappers. Below
are few fun facts just for you before I end this post.
- The smell of chocolate increases theta brain waves, which triggers relaxation. (These brain waves are often used in hypnosis for deep relaxation of body)
- Chocolate has an anti-bacterial effect on the mouth and protects against tooth decay (Remember this if you are a chocolate lover to ward off eating-chocolate-decays-tooth complainers).
- Dogs are not the only animals that can get sick or die by consuming chocolate. It has same effect on cats too.
- In 2013, Belgium issued a limited edition of chocolate flavored stamps. ( Usage of Stamps would be high that year)
- There's a pill that makes farts smell like chocolate.
With that absolute Ewww fact, I hope I
have not dampened your craving for chocolate. Before I end this post I would
like to request to savor your piece-of-heaven because there is a looming
shortage of chocolate and in next 5 years the prices of chocolates might double!!
Until next time…
Have a quirky wicked day, readers!
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