Originally it is believed the fermented Chocolate beverage was used medicinally and in rituals. Cacao beans were so valuable that at one time they were actually used as a form of currency. Records kept by Spanish Conquistadors indicated a value; * for instance that 100 beans could purchase a canoe filled with fresh water or a turkey hen*. There was an import tax on cacao, that was called a *tribute*, paying homage to the gods for the privilege.
Cacao was eventually distributed around the world during the 16th century. It wasn't until sugar or honey was added that it became popular among the upper class society, and eventually became available to the common people.
The Mayans left recipes in their writings. In their society the beverage was often served hot, while the Aztecs by contrast, drank it cold. The Pueblo people of the Southwest imported cacao from Central America around 900 and 1400. It became a common beverage that all in their society consumed.
In the mid 1700s, cacao plantations were developed as the French, Dutch and English colonized areas where Cacao grew best. Wind power and horse-drawn mills were invented and used to speed up the production process, reducing the need for slave labor. Until the Industrial Revolution in the early 1800s, Cacao was entirely manually harvested and processed. Machine presses allowed the removal of the natural fat (cacao butter) from the chocolate extract. A few years later, a press was created by a Dutch chemist that processed the cacao into what we know today as *Dutch Chocolate*. In the mid 1800s, it was discovered that by adding the fats back into the cacao, that the chocolate could be molded, hence the candy bar, and blocks of chocolate could be made. In the late 1800s milk chocolate was invented by Henri Nestle', as he discovered that by adding powdered milk to the chocolate liquor, he could create a milder form of the dark bitter chocolate. Other chocolate manufacturers became involved early in the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Hershey and Cadbury. By 1868 Cadbury was making boxed chocolates in England.
I watched a video of Cacao farmers that had never eaten chocolate before and had no idea why it was so popular with Americans and Europeans, nor how it was even processed. They did mention that their ancestors had made a wine from the cacao beans, but they had no idea how that was done. They tasted the chocolate bars and even kept the wrappers to share with their family, so they could smell the sweetness of the candy created from their labor. The cacao trees produce an almost almond shaped husk similar to an ear of corn, when that is broken open the cacao beans fall out. They are then dried on a bed of the husks and taken to market. It was fascinating to see the reaction of the farmers over something we take for granted in the 21st century.
For recipes to use chocolate refer to the links:
Creamy Fudgesicles:
justfowlingaround.weebly.com/sweets-treats-and-drinks/dreamy-creamy-fudgesicles
Quick Chocolate Almond Clusters:
justfowlingaround.weebly.com/sweets-treats-and-drinks/10-minute-chocolate-almond-clusters
Old time Country Cocoa:
justfowlingaround.weebly.com/sweets-treats-and-drinks/old-time-country-hot-cocoa
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