Raw Materials

Mmm-mmm chocolate!

07/13/09 00:58:05

By: Elena Knežević

The discovery of America brought so much good to the Old World. How had we lived without potato, corn, tobacco and chocolate, of course? Unfortunately, we do not know much about the old civilizations of America, but it is familiar that chocolate was prepared even before the cultures of the Maya and the Aztecs.

Archaeologists claim that the Maya used chocolate in everyday life and that it was not a privilege for the upper social class, but a common democratic treat. The "treat" was however quite bitter and spiced. The Maya and later the Aztecs used to prepare chocolate with water and seasoned with spices: chili pepper, black pepper, vanilla…

According to archaeological research, the Maya grew cocoa in their gardens. With the development of civilization of the Aztecs, the value of chocolate as a means of payment increased significantly. Ordinary people were not able and later not even allowed to afford this "gift of the gods,' as the Aztecs called chocolate.

The Aztecs lived further north from the land of the Maya, with whom they traded. They could not grow cocoa themselves so they had to import it (dried and fermented seeds) from distant regions, which impacted its price.

Chocolate slowly started to win Europe over, starting from Spain, since citizen of Spain, conquistador Hernan Cortes, was the first European to try royal chocolate in the castle of the imperator of the Aztecs, Montezuma II in 1521. A few years later he sent a ship with cocoa beans and the necessary equipment for preparation of the chocolate drink.

(No matter of obvious merit for all chocolate fans, Hernan Cortes is not the first European to hold a cocoa fruit in his hands, even though he tried the drink first.)

The Spanish were not enchanted with the chocolate drink and they started trying out various ingredients to make it tastier, until someone tried to warm it and add cinnamon and sugar. This is how warm and sweet chocolate was born. It was available only to wealthy people, based on the example of the Aztecs.

The Spanish were hiding their chocolate for 100 years, but then the secret leaked to other royal courts of Europe and very soon won over the whole world. Sir Hans Sloane thought of adding milk into the drink to soften taste of chocolate around 1600. You can read and try a simple, almost 400-year- old recipe for the preparation of Mexican chocolate in the Spanish way.

Many interesting, fun and thorough information on chocolate can be found on fieldmuseum.org. The museum organizes chocolate tours through American cities. You can check the schedule here.

Our articles on chocolate:
Fragrant Chocolate Desert - Serendipitous
For Chocolate Addicts

Photos (net efect, darwin bell)

Author: Jeca (jeca)
Fragrantica Member

lindy-fay

Very inspiering reading Jeca! I`m going to try the Maya recipie for hot chocolate as a substitute for some of the,far too many, cups of coffe.Sounds delicious! By the way, I LOVE the dark chocolate note in Serge Lutens- Borneo 1834..

Dec
18
2011

dame piglet

Here are a couple of my fav chocolate scents:

Affordable, chocolate-obvious scents:
* Bittersweet from Tokyomilk
* Mexican Cocoa from Pacifica

Chocolate enhances the other notes:
* CK1 Shock! from Calvin Klein
* Covet from Sarah Jessica Parker (discontinued, sadly)

There are many others, but these are my favorite budget-friendly chocolate fragrances.

Dec
18
2011

ANGELICA07

Don't forget about Belgian chocolate : one of the best of the world, if not the best !! ;o)

Dec
18
2011

BluDreamer7806

I'm a sucker for all things chocolate. Not only is it good to eat, it's also a delight to smell. Thanks for posting this article Jeca. I do remember reading some things about the origins of chocolate years ago. I'm so glad that it made its way to the Americas. Where would be without chocolate? It melts in your mouth and pretty much anywhere you put it......LOL! It tastes good. It makes you feel good and it smells good. Now I'm drooling. LOL!

Jul
22
2009

ahmed ehab

even though that might sound soo stupid like homer simpson would say but, chocoooooooooollate !!!! yum yum yum , i got a bad craving myself now , oh caaaaaraaaamellll !!!!!

Jul
20
2009

Vickalena

Yes, fondue is delicious, and you're right, Jeca, it is quite "long" winter meal, usually accompanied by pleasant conversation with friends/family. The cheese in fondue is mixed with wine and, of course, it is also served with wine, which soon makes you feel very cosy and warm! :)

Jul
19
2009

jeca

Thank you guys! ;o)
Vickalena you are the very expert in that field, you are from Swiss! ;o) Another great thing is fondu (I hope the spelling is correct), not just because it's delicious, but it's very socializing ;o)

Jul
18
2009

Vickalena

Thank you for interesting, informative article!
I think it is very difficult to find a person, who doesn't like chocolate. I'm delighted with a broadest choice of chocolate in Switzerland, some sorts are very famous and are recognised to be one of the best (Lindt&Sprüngli). Here I would like to cite the text which you can find on an inside of a wrapper of the Swiss chocolate:
"Do you know,
- that chocolate contains natural phenylethylamine (PEA)?
*The phenylethylamine triggers wellbeing sensations.
* When we are in love, our body produces phenylethylamine.

- that chocolate contains natural polyphenols?
* The polyphenols help to delay the ageing of the cells.

- that one line of this chocolate bar (4 small squares) has only as few calories as one and a half apples?

Chocolate makes happy. It is good and makes you feel good".

Jul
18
2009

litldove7