Chocolate

• Understanding Chocolate

The History of Chocolate, Part I: The Mayans and the Aztecs

Chocolate's Discovery

The seeds of the cacao tree were discovered 2,000 years ago in the rain forests of the Americas. The discovery of these seeds marked the beginning of two thousand years of chocolate.

Chocolate's Roots (250 - 900 A.D.)

Chocolate has its roots in ancient Mesoamerica. It was quite unlike the chocolate we know today - in its original incarnation, chocolate was a bitter beverage.

The Mayans took the cacao plant from the rainforest and grew it domestically, harvesting, fermenting, roasting, and grinding the seeds, to create chocolate liquor. This was mixed with chile peppers, water, cornmeal, and other ingredients to make a spicy, frothy drink. This chocolate was not just a drink but a part of their religious and social lives.

For the average Mayan, chocolate was a drink consumed only occasionally, although it was favoured by royalty.

The Aztecs aquire chocolate (!400 A.D.)

By 1400 A.D. the Aztecs were a large empire in Mesoamerica. In their trades with the Mayans, they often asked or required to be paid in cacao seeds. Cacao seeds became a form of currency amongst the Aztecs.

The Aztecs drank their chocolate in a similar fashion to the Mayans - a bitter drink seasoned with spices. The Aztecs could afford to drink chocolate more frequently, and many of the 'higher class' of the Aztecs drank chocolate frequently.

Chocolate was often given as an offering to the gods in both Aztec and Mayan cultures, offered as seeds and chocolate drinks during religious ceremonies.