The history of chocolate - Deanna Pucciarelli
Summary
TLDRThe script delves into the rich history of chocolate, from its origins in Mesoamerica as a bitter, frothy drink to its transformation into a global delicacy. It highlights the cultural significance of cacao in ancient civilizations, the Spanish court's sweetening of the beverage, and the industrial revolution that made chocolate accessible to the masses. However, it also uncovers the dark side of the chocolate industry, including the use of slave labor and child labor in modern cocoa production, raising awareness of the complex ethical issues behind our beloved treat.
Takeaways
- 🍫 Chocolate's origins date back to 1900 BCE in Mesoamerica, where it was consumed as a bitter, frothy drink.
- 🌟 Mesoamericans considered cacao a divine gift from the feathered serpent god, using it in rituals and as a form of currency.
- 💰 Aztecs valued cacao beans highly, using them as a form of payment and rewarding soldiers with chocolate.
- 🌐 The first European encounter with chocolate was in 1519 when Hernán Cortés met Moctezuma, introducing chocolate to the Old World.
- 💡 Early chocolate had a bitter taste and was initially used for medicinal purposes, but quickly became a sweet delicacy in the Spanish court.
- 🏭 The industrialization of chocolate began in 1828 with the invention of the cocoa press by Coenraad van Houten, which separated cocoa butter and allowed for the creation of solid chocolate.
- 🥛 The addition of powdered milk by Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter in the late 19th century led to the invention of milk chocolate.
- 🌍 By the 20th century, chocolate became widely available to the public, but this demand led to increased cocoa cultivation, primarily in West Africa.
- 📈 Côte d'Ivoire emerged as a major cocoa producer, supplying a significant portion of the world's cocoa as of 2015.
- 😔 The chocolate industry has been linked to human rights abuses, including child and slave labor on cocoa plantations in West Africa.
- 🚫 Despite efforts by major chocolate companies to reduce child and indentured labor, these practices persist in the cocoa industry.
- 🧐 The modern perception of chocolate as sensual, decadent, and forbidden is shaped by its history and the power of advertising.
Q & A
Why was chocolate not widely known before the 16th century?
-Chocolate was only known in Mesoamerica before the 16th century and existed in a form quite different from what we know today.
What was the earliest form of chocolate consumption in Mesoamerica?
-The earliest records indicate that cacao beans were ground and mixed with cornmeal and chili peppers to create a bitter, invigorating drink frothing with foam.
How did the Mesoamericans view cacao?
-The Mesoamericans believed that cacao was a heavenly food, a gift from a feathered serpent god known as Kukulkan to the Maya and Quetzalcoatl to the Aztecs.
What was the significance of cacao beans in Aztec society?
-Aztecs used cacao beans as currency, drank chocolate at royal feasts, gave it to soldiers as a reward for success in battle, and used it in rituals.
Who was the first European to encounter chocolate and when did this happen?
-Hernán Cortés was the first European to encounter chocolate in 1519 when he visited the court of Moctezuma at Tenochtitlan.
Why was chocolate initially considered suitable as a medicine in Europe?
-Chocolate's bitter taste made it initially suitable as a medicine for ailments like upset stomachs in Europe.
How did the production of chocolate become more accessible and widespread?
-The introduction of the cocoa press by Coenraad van Houten in 1828 allowed for the separation of cocoa butter, creating a powder that could be mixed into a drinkable solution or recombined to create solid chocolate.
Who is credited with the invention of milk chocolate and how was it created?
-Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolatier, is credited with the invention of milk chocolate by adding powdered milk to the chocolate mix.
What changes occurred in the 20th century that made chocolate more accessible to the public?
-By the 20th century, chocolate was no longer an elite luxury due to increased cultivation of cocoa near the equator and the shift of production to West Africa, making it a treat for the public.
What human rights abuses have been associated with the growth of the chocolate industry?
-The growth of the chocolate industry has been associated with horrific abuses of human rights, including the use of slave and child labor on cocoa plantations in West Africa.
How has the perception of chocolate changed over time and what cultural associations does it have today?
-Chocolate has evolved from a bitter medicinal drink to a popular delicacy and a symbol of sensuality and decadence. Its colonial association with native cultures and modern advertising have contributed to its current cultural status.
Outlines
🍫 The Origins of Chocolate
This paragraph delves into the history of chocolate, highlighting its origins in Mesoamerica dating back to 1900 BCE. The people there prepared cacao beans, mixing them with cornmeal and chili peppers to create a bitter, invigorating drink. The Mesoamericans revered cacao as a divine gift from the feathered serpent god, using it in rituals, as currency, and as a reward for soldiers. The first encounter with chocolate by Europeans occurred in 1519 when Hernán Cortés visited the Aztec ruler Moctezuma, where chocolate was served in golden cups. Initially, chocolate was used as medicine in Europe due to its bitter taste but soon became popular as a delicacy after sweetening.
🌍 The Global Spread of Chocolate
The second paragraph discusses the spread of chocolate across the Atlantic and its transformation in Europe. Missionaries' accounts of native customs led to chocolate being seen as an aphrodisiac. The introduction of the cocoa press by Coenraad van Houten in 1828 revolutionized chocolate production by separating cocoa butter from the beans, allowing for the creation of solid chocolate and milk chocolate by Daniel Peter. By the 20th century, chocolate became accessible to the public, but this came at the cost of increased cocoa cultivation near the equator, leading to the shift of production to West Africa.
👨👧👦 The Dark Side of Chocolate Production
This paragraph reveals the darker aspects of the chocolate industry, focusing on the human rights abuses associated with cocoa production in West Africa. It is estimated that over 2 million children are affected by slave and child labor on cocoa plantations that supply Western companies. Despite efforts by major chocolate companies to reduce these practices, the problem of child and indentured labor persists, casting a shadow over the enjoyment of chocolate in modern society.
🎭 The Cultural Impact of Chocolate
The final paragraph reflects on the cultural significance of chocolate, which has become deeply ingrained in modern rituals. Its historical association with native cultures and the influence of advertising have given chocolate an allure of sensuality and indulgence. However, the paragraph also invites consumers to consider the complex history and current production practices of chocolate, acknowledging that not all aspects of this beloved treat are as sweet as they seem.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Chocolate
💡Mesoamerica
💡Cacao
💡Kukulkan and Quetzalcoatl
💡Aztec
💡Hernán Cortés
💡Cocoa Press
💡Daniel Peter
💡Cocoa Plantations
💡Cote d'Ivoire
💡Child Labor
💡Sensual, Decadent, Forbidden
Highlights
Chocolate was unknown in Europe before the 16th century and had a very different form in Mesoamerica.
Mesoamericans prepared cacao beans as early as 1900 BCE, mixing them with cornmeal and chili peppers to create a bitter, invigorating drink.
Cacao was considered a heavenly food, gifted by the feathered serpent god, to Mesoamericans.
Aztecs used cacao beans as currency and in rituals, and chocolate was consumed at royal feasts and given to soldiers as a reward.
Hernán Cortés encountered chocolate in 1519 when he visited the court of Moctezuma, where it was served in golden cups.
Early European colonists viewed chocolate as an aphrodisiac due to missionaries' accounts of native customs.
Initially, chocolate's bitter taste made it suitable for medicinal use in Europe, but sweetening made it a popular delicacy.
By the 17th century, chocolate was a status symbol in aristocratic Spanish homes, with dedicated chocolate ware.
Large-scale chocolate production was difficult, involving plantations and slave labor in the Caribbean and off the coast of Africa.
The cocoa press, invented by Coenraad van Houten in 1828, revolutionized chocolate production by separating cocoa butter from the powder.
Daniel Peter invented milk chocolate by adding powdered milk to the cocoa powder mixture.
By the 20th century, chocolate became a public treat, with increased cocoa cultivation near the equator to meet demand.
Cocoa production shifted to West Africa, with Cote d'Ivoire becoming a major supplier, but this growth was marred by human rights abuses.
Slave and child labor are prevalent in West African cocoa plantations, affecting an estimated 2 million children.
Major chocolate companies are partnering with African nations to reduce child and indentured labor in cocoa production.
Chocolate's history is intertwined with colonialism and advertising, giving it an aura of sensuality, decadence, and forbidden allure.
Awareness of chocolate's history and current production practices encourages consumers to consider the complexities behind their favorite treat.
Transcripts
If you can't imagine life without chocolate,
you're lucky you weren't born before the 16th century.
Until then, chocolate only existed in Mesoamerica
in a form quite different from what we know.
As far back as 1900 BCE,
the people of that region had learned to prepare the beans
of the native cacao tree.
The earliest records tell us the beans were ground
and mixed with cornmeal and chili peppers
to create a drink -
not a relaxing cup of hot cocoa,
but a bitter, invigorating concoction frothing with foam.
And if you thought we make a big deal about chocolate today,
the Mesoamericans had us beat.
They believed that cacao was a heavenly food
gifted to humans by a feathered serpent god,
known to the Maya as Kukulkan
and to the Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl.
Aztecs used cacao beans as currency
and drank chocolate at royal feasts,
gave it to soldiers as a reward for success in battle,
and used it in rituals.
The first transatlantic chocolate encounter occurred in 1519
when Hernán Cortés visited the court of Moctezuma
at Tenochtitlan.
As recorded by Cortés's lieutenant,
the king had 50 jugs of the drink brought out and poured into golden cups.
When the colonists returned with shipments of the strange new bean,
missionaries' salacious accounts of native customs
gave it a reputation as an aphrodisiac.
At first, its bitter taste made it suitable as a medicine for ailments,
like upset stomachs,
but sweetening it with honey, sugar, or vanilla
quickly made chocolate a popular delicacy in the Spanish court.
And soon, no aristocratic home was complete without dedicated chocolate ware.
The fashionable drink was difficult and time consuming to produce
on a large scale.
That involved using plantations and imported slave labor
in the Caribbean and on islands off the coast of Africa.
The world of chocolate would change forever in 1828
with the introduction of the cocoa press by Coenraad van Houten of Amsterdam.
Van Houten's invention could separate the cocoa's natural fat, or cocoa butter.
This left a powder that could be mixed into a drinkable solution
or recombined with the cocoa butter
to create the solid chocolate we know today.
Not long after, a Swiss chocolatier named Daniel Peter
added powdered milk to the mix,
thus inventing milk chocolate.
By the 20th century, chocolate was no longer an elite luxury
but had become a treat for the public.
Meeting the massive demand required more cultivation of cocoa,
which can only grow near the equator.
Now, instead of African slaves being shipped
to South American cocoa plantations,
cocoa production itself would shift to West Africa
with Cote d'Ivoire providing two-fifths of the world's cocoa as of 2015.
Yet along with the growth of the industry,
there have been horrific abuses of human rights.
Many of the plantations throughout West Africa,
which supply Western companies,
use slave and child labor,
with an estimation of more than 2 million children affected.
This is a complex problem that persists
despite efforts from major chocolate companies to partner with African nations
to reduce child and indentured labor practices.
Today, chocolate has established itself in the rituals of our modern culture.
Due to its colonial association with native cultures,
combined with the power of advertising,
chocolate retains an aura of something sensual,
decadent,
and forbidden.
Yet knowing more about its fascinating and often cruel history,
as well as its production today,
tells us where these associations originate
and what they hide.
So as you unwrap your next bar of chocolate,
take a moment to consider that not everything about chocolate is sweet.
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