The Aztecs made it part of their religion.
The Mayans used it as a currency (so in this case, money could be said to "grow on trees").
Columbus didn't see the potential in it, but when the Spanish explorer Cortez arrived in the "New World" he was treated as a god and honored with chocolate.
Intrigued, Cortez brought chocolate back to the Spanish. They promoted cocoa's growth throughout their colonies - at least those conveniently located within 20 degrees of the equator, the only place it grows. (So, sadly, most of my readers could not grow it in their gardens instead of tomatoes this year.)
It would be even better with sugar, Cortez thought. The world would come to agree. But the Spanish kept the secret of the delightful concoction for 100 years, even as the Chinese guarded the secrets of silk. The beans were spilled (so to speak) by a loose-lipped Spanish princess who married one of the French royals and couldn't leave her stash behind.
The Swiss added dairy to the chocolate drink, making the first milk chocolate; another popular move. Later technologies made it possible to create chocolate confections as solids, instead of liquid, and mold it into every shape imaginable.
Today, in spite of pernicious myths (that chocolate makes kids hyper, or causes tooth decay, or increases headaches), we know that "chocolate has a place in any active, healthy lifestyle."
All these interesting tidbits are courtesy of an informational film at the Wilbur Chocolate factory's Candy Americana Museum, one stop on our Pennsylvania trip. It's in Lititz, PA, which was a shorter drive for us than Hershey.
So you see, my vacation was quite educational!
These days people talk about chocolate having antioxidants; never mind that you can get these from all kinds of sources, such as broccoli (less popular, for some reason). In days gone by, other health benefits were touted, as in this ad or this one: (image source here)
2 comments:
the Maya made a drink with cacao beans and chili peppers. spicy and bitter. i learned a lot about the cultivars of Mesoamerica when i was doing independent study history in college (with Dennis.) It's very interesting and interesting to think of the impact on the new world on old world cooking. Think of
"traditional" Italian food -- now take out the tomatoes, peppers, and peppers. Marinara sauce actually IS not very historic, after all. no gnocchi either, just pastas with white sauces, I suppose.
Yes, it sound like cocoa has gone through quite a transition over the centuries.
Next thing you'll be telling me fortune cookies and chopped suey aren't Chinese! Oh, they aren't...
I suppose few things that come to be seen as "traditional" were never once "novel." Another case in point: When the Amish came to Pennsylvania, they weren't quilters. They slept under woven coverlets. They picked up quilting from - who, the English settlers, I think?
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