The Rich History of Chocolate

1500-400 BC – First Discovery and Consumption of Cocoa
The discovery of Cocoa by the Olmecs (1500-400 BC).  Historians believe the Olmecs first discovered that the cocoa fruit was edible by observing rats eating it with gluttonous vigor. They soon realized the tree produced a fruit with a thousand flavors and nearly as many uses. The Olmecs were almost certainly the first humans to consume chocolate, originally in the form of a drink. They crushed the cocoa beans, mixed them with water and added spices, chilies and herbs (Coe’s Theory). They began cultivating cocoa in equatorial Mexico. 

600-400 BC – Early Cultivating and Use of Cocoa
Over time, the Mayans (600 BC) and Aztecs (400 AD) developed successful methods for cultivating cocoa as well. The cocoa bean was used as a monetary unit and as a measuring unit, 400 beans equaling a Zontli and 8000 equaling a Xiquipilli. During their wars with the Aztecs and the Mayans, the Chimimeken people’s preferred method of levying taxes in conquered regions was in the form of cocoa beans.

For these civilizations, cocoa was a symbol of abundance. It was used in religious rituals dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god responsible for bringing the cocoa tree to man, to Chak ek Chuah, the Mayan patron saint of cocoa and as an offering at the funerals of noblemen. Cocoa production advanced as people migrated throughout Meso-America but consumption of the drink remained a privilege for the upper classes and for soldiers during battle. By this time, the re-invigorating and fortifying virtues of cocoa were becoming widely recognized and embraced.

1502 - Columbus Glimpses of Cocoa Beans
In 1502, Columbus got his first glimpse of cocoa beans on a native canoe during a stop-over in Nicaragua, but he did not appreciate its awesome potential value.

1519 – Cortes’s “Brown Gold” when Searching for “Yellow Gold”
When Cortes arrived in what is now known as Mexico in 1519, the Aztecs mistakenly believed that he was the reincarnation of a former god-king who had been exiled from the land. They did not realize that Cortes was seeking Aztec gold which was rumored to exist. Montezuma greeted the Spanish explorers with a large banquet which included cups of a bitter chocolate drink. By the time the Aztecs realized their mistake, the Spanish had begun to overpower them. Within three years, Cortes and his followers brought about the fall of the Aztec empire.
During this time, Cortes realized the economic potential for cocoa beans. He experimented with chocolatl, adding cane sugar to make it more agreeable to Spanish tastes. He also established additional cacao plantings in the Caribbean region before returning to Spain.

1528 - “Brown Gold“ in Spain
The true importance of this “brown gold“ was not recognized until Hernando Cortez drank it with the Aztec emperor Montezuma, and brought it back to the Spanish court in 1528 along with the equipment necessary for brewing the drink. Even then, it is unlikely anyone envisaged its ultimate importance as a world commodity.

The Spanish court soon fell under the spell of this exotic elixir and adapted it to their taste, adding cane sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and pepper. Initially Spain reserved cocoa for its exclusive use, carefully guarding its existence from the rest of the world.  They were so successful in keeping cocoa a secret, that when a group of English pirates captured a Spanish galleon, not recognizing the value of the weighty cargo of beans, they burned them!

Back in Spain, the new version of chocolatl found favor with the wealthy, and continued to undergo flavor refinements. Newly imported spices, such as cinnamon and vanilla, were added to the drink. Ultimately, someone decided the drink would taste better if served steaming hot, creating the first hot chocolate, which quickly won followers among the Spanish aristocracy. Spain proceeded to plant more cacao trees in its overseas colonies in Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Jamaica to ensure an ample supply of cocoa beans. Remarkably, the Spanish were able to keep their ventures in cocoa cultivation and their creation of early cocoa drinks a secret from the rest of Europe for nearly one hundred years.

1575 - First Cargo of Cocoa Beans
In 1575, the first cargo of cocoa beans arrived on the Iberian Peninsula from New Spain, launching the trade in cocoa, and resulting in the establishment of the first chocolate shops, thus, ushering in a new era of rapidly growing demand for this mysterious nectar from the new world.

The origins of cocoa also gradually changed. Europeans began increasingly to colonize Africa, and they brought the cocoa tree with them. Cocoa was successfully planted in Sao Tome and Principe and then migrated as plantations spread throughout the African continent. The industrial epoch led to the slow decline of production in South America, despite its expansion from its original growing areas to the Amazon River and saw a new cocoa empire emerge on African soil. In effect, since the start of the 20th century, Africa has taken the lead and has become the biggest cocoa producer.

1609 - Chocolate Book
"Libro en el cual se trata del chocolate" is the title of a book which appeared in Mexico in 1609. It is the first book devoted entirely to the subject
of chocolate.

Early 1600’s - Expansion of Cocoa in Europe
During the 17th century, cocoa began arriving in other ports throughout Europe, effortlessly conquering every region’s palate. Chocolate beverages were first embraced by the French court following the royal marriage of King Louis XIII to the Spanish Princess Anne of Austria in 1615.

1615 - Chocolate Comes to Italy
In 1615 the first chocolate-drinks were introduced in Italy.

1650’s - English Chocolate Houses
In 1650 chocolate beverages first appeared in England coinciding with the arrival of tea from China and coffee from the Middle East. For many years it remained a treat reserved for the upper classes.  Spanish monks were assigned the task of processing the cocoa beans. It may have been these monks who let out the secret by discussing cocoa with their French counterparts Chocolate drinking spread across the English Channel to Great Britain, and in 1657 the first of many famous English Chocolate Houses appeared.

1659 - First Confection Maker
In 1659 the first chocolate-confection maker opened in Paris.

1674 - First Chocolate Lozenge
The first chocolate lozenge appeared in England in 1674.

1711 - Chocolate On the Move
Charles VI moves from Madrid, Spain to Vienna, Austria in Eastern Europe. He takes chocolate with him.

1720 - Italian Mastery
In 1720, Italian chocolate-makers received prizes in recognition of the quality of their products. The Italians begin serving chocolate in Florence and Venice.

1730 - Mass Production
Mass production of cocoa became possible with the introduction of a perfected steam engine, which mechanized the cocoa grinding process. By 1730, cocoa had dropped in price from three dollars or more per pound to within financial reach of all.

1765 - First US Chocolate Factory
Finally, in 1765, North America discovered the virtues of cocoa.  In the United States of America, the production of chocolate proceeded at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. It was in pre-revolutionary New England - 1765, to be exact - that the first chocolate factory was established in this country.

1776 - Hydraulic Process to Grind Cocoa Beans
France, 1776 Doret invents a hydraulic process to grind cocoa beans into a paste, facilitating the first large-scale production of chocolate.

1780 - First Factory
The industrial era led to fundamental changes for chocolate and cocoa, impacting everyone from grower to end consumer. Spain, the first exporter of chocolate, opened the first machine-made chocolate factory in 1780 in Barcelona, followed shortly thereafter by Germany and Switzerland in the inexorable, relentless march towards full industrialization of cocoa. It did not take long before chocolate was acclaimed throughout Europe as a delicious, health-giving drink. For a while it reigned as the chosen beverage at the fashionable Court of France.

1828 - Invention of the Cocoa Press
Holland, 1828 Chemist Coenraad van Houten invents a process for extracting cocoa butter, allowing for the extraction of cocoa powder. This makes chocolate more homogenous and less costly to produce. The invention of the cocoa press in 1828 was another major breakthrough in cocoa production. This not only helped reduce prices even further, but more importantly, improved the quality of the beverage by squeezing out about half of the cocoa butter (the fat that occurs naturally in cocoa beans) from the ground-up beans, leaving behind a cake-like residue that could be further processed into a fine powder. From then on, chocolate drinks had more of the smooth consistency and the recognizable flavor of those enjoyed today.

1847 - Solid Chocolate Offered
England, 1847 Solid chocolate is offered to the general public for the first time, by the English company Fry and Sons (prior to this time, solid chocolate was available exclusively within royal courts). It was made by combining melted cocoa butter with sugar and cocoa powder. This chocolate had a smooth, velvety texture and quickly replaced the old coarse-grained chocolate which formerly dominated the world market

1849 - Chocolates for Eating
Joseph Fry & Son and Cadbury Brothers displayed chocolates for eating at an exhibition in Bingley Hall, Birmingham, England

1830-1879 - Flavored Chocolate and Milk Chocolate
Switzerland, 1830-1879 Chocolate flavored with hazelnuts is followed by milk chocolate, developed by Daniel Peter and Henri Nestlé respectively. Milk Chocolate was born in 1876 in Vevey, Switzerland, when Daniel Peter devised a way of adding milk to chocolate, creating the product we enjoy today known as milk chocolate.  Daniel Peter and Henri Nestlé joined together to form the Nestlé Company.  During the same period, Rodolphe Lindt develops the chocolate fondant (fondu). 

1893 - Hershey Production Factory
United States, 1893 Sweet maker Milton Hershey spots chocolate making equipment at the Worlds Fair in Chicago and begins production at a factory in Pennsylvania.

1897 - Brownies
The first known published recipe for chocolate brownies appeared in the Sears and Roebuck Catalogue.

1907 - Sweet Kiss!
On July 1, 1907 the first Hershey Kisses are made. Today the Hershey factory can produce 33,000,000 Hershey Kisses per day!

1908 - Toblerone
Theodore Tobler develops the unique triangular nougat filled chocolate candy bar called Toblerone.

The Hershey Chocolate Company makes the first milk chocolate bar with almonds.

1910 – Improvement of Cocoa Labor
In 1910, William Cadbury (the famous chocolate manufacturer) invited several English and American chocolate companies to join him in refusing to buy cacao from plantations characterized by harsh working conditions until things improved.  That same year, a United States Congressional hearing resulted in a formal U.S. ban on any cocoa shown to be the product of slave labor from these plantations.

1912 - First Combination Candy Bar
The Tennessee makers of Goo Goo Clusters created the first combination chocolate candy bar. They mixed peanuts, caramels, and marshmallows together and coated the concoction with milk chocolate.

The Whitman Company produces the boxed assortments called Whitman's Samplers. This is the first company to have a drawing of where the different chocolates are located in the box.

1920’s  - War and Chocolate, WWI
Chocolate followed the French and American infantry into the trenches of the First World War.  The military introduced many people to chocolate.  Surprisingly, the armed forces helped spread the love of chocolate worldwide. The trend first began in the late 19th century, when Queen Victoria got her soldiers hooked on chocolate by sending them gifts of this nourishing and delicious candy for Christmas.

But the popularity of candy bars really skyrocketed after World War I, when chocolate was part of every United State’s soldier’s rations. By 1930, there were nearly 40,000 different kinds of chocolate.

1922 - Peanut Butter Cup
H. B. Reese makes the first Reese's peanut butter cup using Hershey's milk chocolate.

1924 - The Liquid Center
Liquid-center chocolates were originally made only by forming a shell, stuffing it with a filling, then fitting a bottom to it. But in 1924, H.S. Pain, a United States government chemist, invented a new and unusual method. He inserted a special yeast into a solid center that could be easily coated in chocolate. But over a two-month period, the yeast chemically broke down the center and turned it into a thick, creamy liquid.

1930’s - Chocolate Chip Cookie
Ruth Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, is credited with inventing the chocolate chip cookie.   The story goes that one day in 1930 she cut a Nestlé’s Semisweet Yellow Label Chocolate bar into small chunks and added it to her butter cookie dough.  The cookies were an instant hit with her customers and word of their popularity reached the Nestle company.  Nestle must have realized that adding small chunks of their chocolate bar to cookie dough would appeal to the mass market because by 1939 Nestle had come out with chocolate morsels (or chips).  What a brilliant marketing plan it turned out to be when Nestle packaged the chips in a Yellow bag and then bought the rights to the Toll House name and Ruth Wakefield's recipe.  They called her recipe "The Famous Toll House Cookie" and printed it on the back of the Yellow bag.  This recipe is still to this day, although in a slightly altered form, on the back the Nestle chocolate chip bags.

1940s - War and Chocolate Again, WWII
All US chocolate production was requisitioned for the military during the Second World War. During World War II, the U.S. government recognized chocolate's role in the nourishment and group spirit of the Allied Armed Forces, so much so that it allocated valuable shipping space for the importation of cocoa beans. Many soldiers were thankful for the chocolate bars, which gave them the energy to carry on until more food rations could be obtained.

In France, chocolate sweets appeared between the wars, and French pralines (chocolates filled with almond and other nut based fillings) were considered the most fashionable. This inspired chocolate producers to experiment with new flavors, such as almond paste, cherries in aqua vitae, nougat, caramel...

1941 - M & M’s
Forrest Mars returns to the United States from England. He goes into business with Bruce Murrie, who is the one of the president of the Hershey Chocolate Company. They call their new company M & M Ltd. Together they make the first M & M's.

1950’s - Advertising Boost
While inventions made chocolate easier to produce, advertising made it something people craved.  As chocolate products became cheaper to make and buy, advertisers introduced marketing campaigns aimed at more people, particularly women and children.  Breakfast chocolate became a part of many people’s diets. And nibbling on chocolate bars was encouraged as a way to sustain energy, cure lethargy, and improve a host of other medical conditions.

Present Day
The U.S. Army's Meals Ready to Eat contain chocolate bars and chocolate candies, and chocolate has been taken into space as part of the diet of U.S. astronauts.

Today, although cacao farming hasn’t changed much, chocolate manufacturing has become a blend of art and science. Thanks to trade and technology, cacao seeds and chocolate are part of a global market economy that includes most countries around the world.

Although it’s now more affordable, not everyone chooses to eat chocolate.  Many Asian cultures have never really developed a taste for the sweet. In fact, the Chinese eat only one bar of chocolate for every 1,000 consumed by the British.

And in countries like Ghana and Ivory Coast, people rarely eat chocolate because it is worth more to them as a trade product than as a food.

Cacao can be used in cosmetics and medicine, too.  For many years, chocolate has been more than a food; it has served as a health and beauty aid, too.  Theobromine, a chemical found in chocolate, enlarges blood vessels and is used to treat high blood pressure. In addition, cocoa butter is used in cosmetics and ointments—and even as a coating for pills. Plus, leftover cacao husks make good mulch and cattle feed.

Chocolate is still associated with many religious holidays.  Chocolate still plays a part in festive celebrations that are associated with many religious holidays. Most of us expect to eat chocolate in some form near events like Hanukkah, Christmas, and Easter.  In Mexico in particular, chocolate is used to make offerings during the Day of the Dead festival, a time for remembering loved ones who have died.

 Misc Sources: www.zchocolat.com, http://www.chocolateusa.org, http://www.chocolatesource.com