| For a food that seems so familiar, most of us know | | | | world? Can you think of two more different |
| surprisingly little about the real origins and history of | | | | environments than the jungles of the Yucatan and the |
| chocolate. I counted myself in this group until very | | | | Swiss Alps? |
| recently when I picked up a copy of a book titled 'The | | | | The story is more fascinating than you can imagine |
| True History of Chocolate", by Sophie D. Coe and | | | | and involves Columbus, the Conquistadors, the fall of |
| Michael D. Coe. Published in 1996, it's 268 pages of | | | | the Aztec Empire, the French Revolution and the |
| meticulously researched, fascinating facts and | | | | Industrial Revolution, and last but not least, Milton |
| "speculation" about the origin and development of the | | | | Snavely Hershey. |
| food we call chocolate. | | | | When first introduced to Europe, chocolate was only |
| I wonder how many of us would even recognize a | | | | for the nobles, who endlessly debated it nutritional and |
| cacao pod if one happened to fall on our head? Of | | | | medicinal properties. In fact, because of the dominance |
| course, such an event is highly unlikely unless one | | | | of the Catholic Church, long debates were held as to |
| happens to be in a very small number of places in | | | | whether or not chocolate was actually a food and |
| certain regions of the world. The cacao tree simply | | | | whether, as such, eating it broke the fasting rules in |
| refuses to grow outside of a very narrow range of | | | | place at the time. |
| latitudes and weather conditions. Another crucial factor | | | | The generally accepted first meeting between |
| in the successful cultivation of the tree is making sure | | | | Europeans and the cacao bean took place in 1502 |
| that the right insects are around to pollinate the | | | | when Columbus anchored off the island of Guanaja, |
| flowers, a fact that wasn't known when some early | | | | north of mainland Honduras. It was his fourth voyage, |
| attempts were made to transplant the trees. | | | | and he unfortunately died without ever tasting |
| As the authors mention, if you hold a cacao pod in one | | | | chocolate. |
| hand and a piece of chocolate in any form in the other, | | | | What followed was the Spanish conquest of Central |
| you would never suspect that the one was made | | | | America and the eventual return of cacao to Europe |
| from the other. In fact, for nine-tenths of its long history, | | | | where it did not actually receive rave reviews. But the |
| chocolate was drunk, not eaten. Consumption of solid | | | | story is long one, and to get all the details, pick up a |
| chocolate by the masses is a relatively recent | | | | copy of the book. It's a wonderful story, a great history |
| development. So how did chocolate get from the | | | | lesson, and may leave you with the desire to sample |
| forests of Central America, where it began as drink | | | | not just Hershey Bars, but some of the other more |
| for the royal courts of the Maya in the Yucatan | | | | "exotic" chocolate products that are available these |
| Peninsula, to your pantry in the form of a Hershey | | | | days. |
| Bar? Seems like a long trip, doesn't it? Furthermore, | | | | Note: You may freely publish the above article in any |
| why is chocolate thought of a product of Switzerland? | | | | way you wish, as long as the author's name and links |
| How did the Swiss manage to dominate the chocolate | | | | are left intact. |