By Table of Contents
How Was Chocolate Originally Eaten
Some Mayan warriors drank a hot chocolate drink before going into battle. This drink made them so strong that they were not afraid of their enemies?they knew they could defeat them..
What was the first way chocolate was consumed?
The use of chocolate dates back to 1900 B.C. The Spanish conquered Central America, the Aztecs’ main source of chocolate, in the early 1500s. The Spanish were introduced to the chocolate drink by the Aztecs. When the Spanish conquered the Aztecs, they found the Aztec chocolate drink, which they called “chocolatl.” They mixed the chocolate drink with water and sugar and drank it like a hot chocolate. The first chocolate bars found in Italy and Germany contained nothing but ground cocoa and sugar, and were called “chocolates.” This type of chocolate is still sold on the Internet and in some stores today..
How did the Aztecs originally consumed chocolate?
The Aztecs in Mexico consumed chocolate in many different forms. Just like many other civilizations in history, they consumed it in the form of a bitter drink. The Aztecs used cocoa beans to make a thick drink. The drink was bitter because they did not have the sugarcane plant which made it sweet. It was thick because they crushed the cocoa beans to bring out the flavor..
Where does the word chocolate come from how was chocolate originally eaten?
The term ‘chocolate’ was first used in the year 1557 in a book by a Spanish traveler named Bernal Diaz del Castillo. He spoke of a ‘drink of the Aztecs made from cocoa’. There is evidence that the Mayans and Aztecs drank it in liquid form, mixed with water and spices. They also used it in the form of a paste. This paste was molded into lumps and kept in pots. The Spanish enjoyed its taste and its medical and religious properties and brought it to Europe, where it was well received and every country developed its own recipes. Soon, it became a very expensive drink and was usually consumed by the rich and powerful. The poorer people got to eat the Aztec chocolate paste in the form of a tablet. However, it was not made of chocolate though. It was made of cocoa powder and honey. The Spanish also started making their own chocolate, which was much richer and creamier than the original. They used vanilla and almonds to make it taste better. They even used to add spices like nutmeg, cinnamon etc to it. Chocolate was considered a health drink for a while before it became a widely accepted drink in the society. It has evolved over the years, but the traditional recipe still remains the same..
How did the Mayans consume chocolate?
Chocolate was a very important food item of the Mayans. It was served at both high and low class ceremonies and functions. The Maya had a special *** of alcoholic beverages and chocolate, named Ek Chuah. It was believed that if people didn’t consume chocolate on a regular basis, they would become ill and eventually, die. In the late 1500’s, Spanish conquistadores arrived in the New World and discovered this “magical” drink from cocoa beans. As time passed, the drink was modified, and today, you can find chocolate almost anywhere..
Who invented chocolate first?
The chocolate we know today was discovered during the prehispanic period in the region that is now considered southern Mexico. However, similar drinks were used by the Maya and other pre-Columbian civilizations around the world. One of the first civilizations to grow cacao plants was the Olmecs. The Aztecs later used this plant to make the first drinkable chocolate beverage and referred to it as Xocoatl, which later became Chocolatl..
Did Aztecs smoke chocolate?
We don’t know this for sure since there is no direct evidence as such. What we know is that by 1552, when the first Europeans came to Aztec territories, the Aztecs drank chocolate as a beverage. They drank it for medicinal purposes and as a sign of celebration. The beverage was heated and flavored with vanilla and chilis and sometimes was mixed with human blood and honey. The Aztecs also ate chocolate as a paste, sometimes combined with honey and chili peppers. The Aztecs mixed chocolate with water, milk, corn flour or maize, and the results were a thick chocolate drink, a hot spicy chocolate drink and a cold chocolate drink. They sometimes mixed blood from human sacrifice with chocolate. Aztecs drank chocolate mixed with honey and chili peppers, and they also ate chocolate as a paste, sometimes combined with honey and chili peppers..
Why is white chocolate is white?
The three main components that give chocolate its distinctive taste are “cocoa butter”, “cocoa solids” and “sugar.” These are all natural ingredients except for one — “vanillin” — which is a compound produced by a chemical synthesis. The cacao tree originated in South America. The word “cacao” comes from the Mayan word “cacahuatl” which means “bitter water.” There are three main kinds of cacao trees, the criollo, the forastero and the trinitario. The criollo tree, which is considered the best, is grown only in the Caribbean. The forastero is grown in Central America and Mexico, while the trinitario is grown in Trinidad. Each one of these trees has its own chocolate flavor. The trees are grown to a height of about 10 to 14 feet. The cacao fruit resembles a small, green pumpkin. The inside contains 25 to 50 seeds, each surrounded by a fleshy pulp. The seeds are harvested, shelled, fermented and dried to produce cacao beans..
Did the Mayans invent chocolate?
The Aztecs did not eat chocolate until shortly before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Most of the evidence indicates that the word “chocolate” comes from the Nahuatl word chocolatl, where chocolatl is the Nahuatl word for “hot water”, while the -atl suffix is probably cognate with the Classical Nahuatl term for water -atl (pronounced [?atl?]). The word Nahuatl makes up part of the official name of the language of the Aztecs, Nahuatl istlenhcuahatl “the real human language”. As the word chocolate entered Spanish, the Spanish pronunciation of “tl” as [t?] did not occur. Therefore, the word entered Spanish as “chocolate”. Chocolate did not become the usual name of the drink until the late 18th century..
Why do you think the Spanish kept cocoa beans a secret?
The Spanish kept cocoa beans a secret because the Spanish valued money more than life. They knew that cocoa beans would cause illness and death if consumed by the natives, but they were too greedy to care. They also knew that cocoa beans were very valuable because they tasted great and they thought it would be a big hit with the Europeans. The Spanish increased the demand for cocoa through the Europeans and made money while Native Americans and Africans died. Today we still eat chocolate and make money, while the African and Latin American people continue to work in the cocoa plantations and live in poverty..
What is the ancient Mayan word for chocolate?
The ancient Mayans did not have a word for chocolate, or any word for chocolate at all. The word chocolate comes from the Aztec word “xocoatl”, which means “bitter water”. The Mayans ate a drink made from cacao beans, which they called “kakawa”, and they did so for thousands of years. But the word cacao does not mean chocolate in the way that we think of it today. The Mayans were also unable to grow the cacao beans in their hot, wet, rainforest-like environment (which would not be possible without the use of shade trees, which were not available in the area), so their drink was very bitter, with the sweet taste of honey..
When was chocolate milk invented?
No one really knows who invented chocolate milk. There are some stories about its invention. One story says that a guy named James Lewis Kraft was the one who invented chocolate milk in the year 1902. He left the firm he was working for and started his own business. During his first year, he was having problems selling his own cheese. One day he got the idea that he would mix cheese and milk and sell it as a drink. He tried and found people liked it and later his idea proved to be a success. He later invented prepackaged cheese and called it “original pasteurized process cheese food”..
When was white chocolate invented?
White chocolate was invented in the early 19th century by Swiss chocolate maker Daniel Peter. What is commonly referred to as white chocolate is actually a blend of cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and flavorings. To be considered true white chocolate, the cocoa butter must comprise at least 20% of the mix. White chocolate, also known as plain or “natural” chocolate or cocoapaste, is quite different from white compound chocolate (which is technically its own type of chocolate, quite different from white chocolate marketed as such). White compound chocolate is made from pure cocoa butter and sugar and is generally not flavored..
How did Europeans react to chocolate?
In the 16th century, chocolate was introduced to Europe. The Spaniards, who conquered the lands where cacao was grown, saw chocolate as a wonderful way to bring an end to excessive eating at their banquets. They often consumed a bitter drink called xocolatl, which was the original word for the drink. The drink was made from cacao beans, chilies, and spices. They mixed it with water. As they drank the beverage, the Spaniards began to wonder if it could be used as a food as well as a drink. They added sugar, as well as vanilla and cinnamon to the drink. In fact, chocolate is believed to have been a major reason for the end of the Aztec Empire. When the Spanish saw how much the Aztecs enjoyed it, they began to drink it themselves. They soon brought chocolate back to Spain where it became a very popular drink. Europeans began to use chocolate as a beverage and a spice..
Which country eats the most chocolate?
Switzerland is the leader of the chocolate industry. The Swiss consume 31 pounds of chocolate per person each year. Switzerland produces more than 10,000 tons of chocolate per year. The Swiss get their chocolate by making it, importing it and producing it by themselves. As of 2013, Switzerland had approximately 143 chocolate factories. Switzerland’s largest chocolate importer is Germany..
Which people drank the first drinking chocolate?
According to studies (Wikipedia) and archeological evidence, people of Mesoamerica drank chocolate as early as 1900 BC. Specifically, the Maya and Aztecs drank chocolate as a celebratory and ritualistic drink. The earliest evidence of cacao use comes from the Mokaya and Zapotec cultures (c. 600?300 BC) and was first associated with death and sacrificial rituals. By the time of the Classic period (c. AD 300?900), the Maya were using the chocolate drink as a beverage of the elite and it seems they also used it as such in their religious ceremonies..
