History of chocolate

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Chocolate has a very rich history, from the discovery from the ancient Maya to the luxury drink of the Europeans, the flavor has been around for quite a while.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 Origins 3 Etymology 4 Trade 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Etymology

The name for chocolate most likely comes from the Nahuatl language, indigenous to central Mexico, although it may have been influenced by the Mayan languages. One popular theory is that it comes from the Nahuatl word xocolātl (pronounced [ʃoˈkolaːtɬ]) derived from xocolli, bitter, and atl, water.^[1] (Xocolatl was a chocolate drink consumed by the Aztecs, associated with the Mayan god of Fertility). Alternate derivations include that of the Mexican philologist, Ignacio Davila Garibi, who proposed that "Spaniards had coined the word by taking the Maya word chocol and then replacing the Maya term for water, haa, with the Aztec one, atl." The Maya verb chokola'j, "to drink chocolate together", has also been suggested as an origin.^[2]. However, professor Michael D. Coe, coauthor of the book The True History of Chocolate (ISBN-0500282298), argues that the word xocolatl appears in "no truly early source on the Nahuatl language or on Aztec culture."^{[citation needed]}

In a controversial recent study, linguists Karen Dakin and Søren Wichmann found that in many dialects of Nahuatl, the name is 'chicolatl', rather than 'chocolatl'. In addition, many languages in Mexico, such as Popoluca, Mixtec and Zapotec, and even languages spoken in the Philippines have borrowed this form of the word. The word chicol-li, refers to the frothing or beating sticks still used in some areas in cooking. There are two different sticks used, either a small straight stick with small strong twigs on one end, or a stiff plant stalk with the stubs of roots cleaned and trimmed. Since chocolate was originally served ceremonially with individual beater sticks, Dakin and Wichmann argue that it seems quite likely that the original form of the word was 'chicolatl', which would have meant 'beaten drink'. In many areas of Mexico, 'chicolear' means 'to beat, stir'.^[3]

[edit] Origins

Chocolate residue found in several jars from the site of Puerto Escondido in Honduras, from around 1100 B.C. is the earliest evidence to date of the use of cacao. ^[4] The evidence found indicates that the earliest use of cacao seems to have been as alcoholic beverage. Slightly later, around 600-400 B.C. there are traces from jars in Belize. An early Classic (460-480 A.D.) period Maya tomb from the site of Rio Azul, Guatemala, had vessels with the maya glyph for cacao on them and had residue of a chocolate drink. The Aztecs associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility. In the Americas, chocolate was consumed in a bitter and spicy drink called xocoatl, often seasoned with vanilla, chile pepper, and achiote (which we know today as annatto). Xocoatl was believed to fight fatigue, a belief that is probably attributable to the theobromine content. Chocolate was an important luxury good throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and cocoa beans were often used as currency. Other chocolate drinks combined it with such edibles as maize gruel (which acts as an emulsifier) and honey.

The xocolatl was said to be an acquired taste. Jose de Acosta, a Spanish Jesuit missionary who lived in Peru and then Mexico in the later 16th century, wrote of it:

Loathsome to such as are not acquainted with it, having a scum or froth that is very unpleasant taste. Yet it is a drink very much esteemed among the Indians, where with they feast noble men who pass through their country. The Spaniards, both men and women, that are accustomed to the country, are very greedy of this Chocolate. They say they make diverse sorts of it, some hot, some cold, and some temperate, and put therein much of that "chili"; yea, they make paste thereof, the which they say is good for the stomach and against the catarrh.^[5]

Christopher Columbus brought some cocoa beans to show Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, but it was Spanish friars who introduced it to Europe more broadly.

The first recorded shipment to Europe for commercial purposes was in a shipment from Veracruz to Sevilla in 1585. It was still served as a beverage, but the Europeans added sugar and milk to counteract the natural bitterness and removed the chilli pepper, replacing it with another Mexican indigenous spice, vanilla. Changes to the taste meant that by the 17th century it was a luxury item among the European nobility. Chocolate was also an important luxury good throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and cacao beans were often used as currency.^[6] For example, the Aztecs used a system in which one turkey cost one hundred cacao beans and one fresh avocado was worth three beans. ^[7] South American and European cultures have used cocoa to treat diarrhea for hundreds of years.^[8] All of the areas that were conquered by the Azetcs that grew cacao beans were ordered to pay them as a tax, or as the Aztecs called it, a "tribute".^[9]

Until the 1500s, no European had ever heard of the popular drink from the Central and South American peoples.^[10] It wasn't until the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs that chocolate could be imported to Europe, where it quickly became a court favorite. Before long, the Spanish began growing cacao beans on plantations, using African workforce to help manage them. By the second half of the seventeenth century, chocolate was introduced into England. The first chocolate house opened in London in 1657.^[11] In 1689, noted physician and collector Hans Sloane developed a milk chocolate drink in Jamaica which was initially used by apothecaries, but later sold to the Cadbury brothers.^[12]

For hundreds of years, the chocolate making process remained unchanged. When the people saw the Industrial Revolution arrive, many changes occurred that brought the hard, sweet candy we love today to life. In the 1700s, mechanical mills were created that squeezed out cocoa butter, which in turn helped to create hard, durable chocolate.^[13] But, it was not until the arrival of the Industrial Revolution that these mills were put to bigger use. Not long after the revolution cooled down, companies began advertising this new invention to sell many of the chocolate treats we see today.^[14] When new machines were produced, people began experiencing and consuming chocolate worldwide.^[15]

[edit] Etymology

The word "chocolate" comes from the Aztecs of Mexico, and is derived from the Nahuatl word xocolatl^[16] which is a combination of the words, xocolli, meaning "bitter", and atl, which is "water". The Aztecs associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility. Chocolate is also associated with the Maya god of fertility. Mexican philologist Ignacio Davila Garibi, proposed that "Spaniards had coined the word by taking the Maya word chocol and then replacing the Mayan term for water, haa, with the Aztec term, atl."^[17] However, it is more likely that the Aztecs themselves coined the term,^[18] having long adopted into Nahuatl the Mayan word for the "cacao" bean; the Spanish had little contact with the Maya before Cortés's early reports to the Spanish King of the beverage known as xocolatl.^[19] William Bright noted that the word xocoatl does not occur in early Spanish or Nahuatl colonial sources.^[20]

At the end of the 18th century, the first form of solid chocolate was invented in Turin by Doret. This chocolate was sold in large quantities from 1826 by Pierre Paul Caffarel. In 1819, F. L. Cailler opened the first Swiss chocolate factory. In 1828, Dutchman Coenraad Johannes van Houten patented a method for extracting the fat from cocoa beans and making powdered cocoa and cocoa butter. Van Houten also developed the so-called Dutch process of treating chocolate with alkali to remove the bitter taste. This made it possible to form the modern chocolate bar. It is believed that the Englishman Joseph Fry made the first chocolate for eating in 1847, followed in 1849 by the Cadbury brothers.

Daniel Peter, a Swiss candle maker, joined his father-in-law's chocolate business. In 1867, he began experimenting with milk as an ingredient. He brought his new product, milk chocolate, to market in 1875. He was assisted in removing the water content from the milk to prevent mildewing by a neighbour, a baby food manufacturer named Henri Nestlé. Rodolphe Lindt invented the process called conching, which involves heating and grinding the chocolate solids very finely to ensure that the liquid is evenly blended.

[edit] Trade

Roughly two-thirds of the world's cocoa is produced in Western Africa, with close to half of the total sourced from Côte d'Ivoire. Like many food industry producers, individual cocoa farmers are at the mercy of volatile world markets. The price can vary from between £500 ($945) and £3,000 ($5,672) per ton in the space of just a few years. While investors trading in cocoa can dump shares at will, individual cocoa farmers can not ramp up production and abandon trees at anywhere near that pace.

Only two to three per cent of "cocoa futures" contracts traded in the cocoa markets ever end up in the physical delivery of cocoa. Every year seven to eight times more cocoa is bought and sold on the exchange than exists.

It has been alleged that an estimated 90% of cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire have used some form of slave labour in order to remain viable.^[21] When cocoa prices drop, farmers in West Africa sometimes cut costs by resorting to slave labour.^[22]

A number of manufacturers produce Fair Trade chocolate, whereby cocoa farmers are given a higher and more consistent remuneration. Fair Trade chocolate is produced by Oxfam, Trade Aid and Green and Blacks, among other companies. All Fair Trade chocolate can be distinguished by the logo.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Chocolate and Ancient Maya
• A Brief History of Chocolate -- Smithsonian.com