Take the Cake: Bite-sized Inspiration for the Savvy Baker
 

The History of Chocolate

Ahh chocolate: decadent, smooth, creamy, and of course comforting.

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Photo Credit: Boldomatic.

Whether it’s a rough break up, a celebration, or simply some “metime,” chocolate will always be there for you. Originating in Mesoamerica around 1400 BC, chocolate started its humble beginnings from the beans of cacao trees, which the Mayan civilians fermented, dried, and then ground into a liquid paste. After adding some spices such as chili pepper, sage, and coriander, they would actually drink this beverage. That’s right: spicy, bitter, liquid chocolate. Not only did they drink their cocoa creations, it was also used in many ceremonies as offerings to their Gods. This tradition was carried out as per usual by the Aztecs when they dominated the region (think 1200-1500AC).

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Xocolatl, or Aztec (hot) chocolate. Photo Credit: ZMETRAVEL.

Chocolate as we know it today took hundreds of years to develop. It wasn’t until the mid 16th century that the Spaniards brought the chocolate trend to Europe. Although the fad still consisted of drinking the beverage, eventually the Spaniards’ colonization of the Caribbean islands led to chocolate’s secret ingredient: sugar. In the 1850’s the world’s first solid chocolate was created by Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter and Englishman Joseph Fry, who added milk and cocoa butter to the tasty concoction. Just like that the game was changed.

 

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Photo Credit: GIPHY.

Since then, industries have been built entirely around chocolate – and we couldn’t be more thankful. Not only is it incredibly versatile (read: cake, hot chocolate, pudding, cookies, fudge, brownies etc), it’s also de-LISH.

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Photo Credit: GIPHY.

So grab your favorite chocolate bar, put on a movie, and get munching.

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