Mayan Chocolate

Sabina Mihailescu,

Editor (Food)

 

It’s the XXXX of December, folks! If you are reading this article it means that the world is still turning and that you survived the Apocalypse! So, fortunately, the Mayans weren’t right in their predictions. They may be awful prophets, but they have at least one redeeming quality about them – knowing the true value of something that makes people all over the world jump in glee : chocolate.

Chocolate has always played an important role in the Mesoamerican cultures (Mayans, Aztecs, Olmecs), being first documented around 1100 BC. The etymology of the noun ‘chocolate’ is still being discussed, but the most common explanation is that it comes from the Aztec ‘xocolatl’ (‘bitter water’), because of the bitter taste of the cocoa beans, the prime ingredient for chocolate.

It is supposed that chocolate was first processed by the Mayans, who used it not only as a refreshing drink, but also as an offering for the gods. When the Aztecs gained control of a part of Mesoamerica, the cocoa beans were introduced as currency, due to the fact that the cocoa trees were hard to grow in the harsh desert-like conditions of the region.

After the discovery of the Americas and the conquests of Hernan Cortez, cocoa beans and chocolate were brought to Europe and quickly spiked the interest of the royal courts all across the continent. Despite the fact that the first chocolate house opened in 1657, it wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that the world passed to the mass production of chocolate. The first Swiss chocolate factory was opened in 1819 and, after many experiments, the first milk chocolate, made by Daniel Peter, was introduced to the public in 1875. He then proceeded to found his own company, along with his partner, Henri Nestle. From then, many scientists and manufacturers (for example, Rodolphe Lindt and Milton Hershey, both well-known in the chocolate industry) brought their own inputs to the process of chocolate-making and helped shaping this beautiful delicacy into what it is nowadays – a treat demanded by children and adults alike.

Image Courtesy: nourishedkitchen.com