In tropical rain forests there, cacao (kah Kow) seeds were found in pods on trees. The seeds were processed into chocolate, and that was mixed with other seasonings to make a drink. Little did they know, that this same seed would lead to the production of one of the world's favorite indulgences.
Did you know that:
- Chocolate was originally enjoyed in its bitter, natural form
- Chocolate was a used as a currency by the Aztecs
- It was served at sacred religious ceremonies
- Once chocolate arrived in Spain, it spread through Europe within about 100 years (1500 AD)
- Until the Industrial Revolution, chocolate was enjoyed primarily by the wealthy. As a handmade product, it was expensive and time-consuming to make prior to this period.
- For many years, chocolate was produced on plantations by slaves, and in 1910, a United States Congressional hearing imposed a ban on chocolate produced on these plantations
- Two Frenchmen, Doret and Dubuisson(early 1700's), designed mills that produced chocolate faster and made a product that was smoother and creamier. Prior to that, the chocolate was gritty and oily, best used in drinks instead of in a candy bar form
- In 1828, Coenraad Van Houte, a Dutchman, invented the cocoa press. This tool removed cocoa butter, and left behind powdered cocoa.
- Today most chocolate crops are grown in Africa and Indonesia
