Who can deny the intense pleasure one derives from eating smooth, rich cholate? Chocolate has long been considered a gift from the Gods. We begin your discovery of chocolate by learning more about its detailed History.
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The original use of the fruits from the cacao plant in no way resembles how we consume and think of chocolate now. Originally developed by the Aztecs and Maya between the 14th and 16th centuries for use in their religious ceremonies it was consumed mostly as a beverage. Aztec culture revered the cacao tree as a direct connection between earth and the gods. Cocoa was used extensively for sanctification during marriage, coming of age, and sacrificial ceremonies.
As a beverage, cocoa was very dissimilar from the hot cocoa we currently enjoy. Early peoples used the white pulp and seeds of the cacao pod to make wine and drinks, either hot or cold. The cocoa beans were roasted in a hot stone bowl using more hot stones from the fire. Roasted beans were then crushed by hand using stone implements to make a brown paste. This paste was combined with toasted corn, water, and sometimes sugar. Vanilla or chilies were occasionally added depending on the religious purpose of the drink. The resulting concoction was usually bitter and acrid in flavor with none of the sweet, creamy richness we associate with cocoa now.
Following the arrival of Christopher Columbus and other explorers, it was a short time before chocolate made its appearance in Europe. In 1544 Prince Philip of Spain was the first to receive the gift of chocolate and it soon rose to a revered status among royals who consumed it as a medicinal elixir. By 1642 chocolate had arrived in France for use by the Catholic leaders. Chocolate houses opened by 1657 to serve up gallons of hot sweetened chocolate to the public at large. Quickly, chocolate was recognized by the general public to cure and prevent nearly every disease and disorder then known.
Solid chocolate, similar to the form we now enjoy it in, was introduced in chocolate emporiums in the year 1674. As more and more cocoa beans were imported from growing regions 20 degrees north and south of the Equator, the price began to drop to within reach of the average person. However it was still another 100 years from the introduction of the first solid chocolate until this form was introduced in the United States. In 1765 Irish chocolatier, John Hanan, imported cocoa beans to Dorchester, MA. With the assistance of Dr. James Baker the two soon built America's first chocolate manufacturing plant. In 1780 they began production of the famous Baker's Chocolate brand. Chocolate was expanding rapidly worldwide by this time and chocolate manufacturers began in Switzerland, England, Germany, and more. As quickly as chocolate makers were popping up everywhere, the technology was making vast improvements to allow large scale production.
In 1828 Conrad Van Houten invented the cocoa press and the alkalizing process which both significantly contributed to the improvement in flavor and texture of chocolate. His alkalization process became known as "Dutching", resulting in a less bitter, but richer chocolate flavor. In 1847 Joseph Fry and Son discovered a way to add some of the cocoa butter back to the "dutched" chocolate with sugar to create a paste that could be molded. Thus the first modern couverture chocolate was created.
Milk chocolate took somewhat longer to create. In 1876 Daniel Peter of Switzerland invented a means of making an eating milk chocolate after 8 years of toil and experimentation. Milk chocolate was quickly revered as a luxury product. Made only in Switzerland, it was very expensive. Milton Hershey became determined to develop milk chocolate himself and sell it to the American public. It took a great deal of trial and error to create his milk chocolate formula, still in use today. In 1905 Hershey's milk chocolate was offered to the public where it was excitedly snatched up by eager consumers. Hershey's milk chocolate was the first nationally marketed product of its kind, and has remained popular.
Since the early 20th Century, chocolate has been continually reinvented and improved upon by the numerous chocolate manufacturers worldwide. The complex flavor profiles produced by each company are closely guarded secrets, as well as the source of their cocoa beans. Beans from many regions are blended and roasted in precise ways to maintain quality and flavors between batches.
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