There is a long history surrounding the cocoa bean. It has been around for thousands of years. Many ancient cultures used the cocoa bean. Some of the more well-known cultures were the Aztecs and Mayans. Both of these ancient cultures lived in South America.
The cocoa culture
The name chocolate when translated from the original language spoken by the native groups means bitter hot water. The native groups used the cocoa beans for religious ceremonies. In fact, the cocoa bean was so important to the cultures that it was used as currency in some of the native societies. The native cultures would also use for royal parties and as a reward for the bravery of their warriors. Needless to say the cocoa plant was highly revered by the cultures that grew the plant.
Spain and cocoa
During the time of exploration in the European countries Spain went to concur the South American countries. They sent the conquistadors to the counties in search of gold and riches. The explorers would return to Spain with the new discovery of the Cocoa plant. Spain made their own twist on the bitter drink though. They choose to add sugar to sweeten the beverage along with spices. Not only was this plant used among the religious ceremonies, but now it was a popular drink in Spain. The Spaniards kept this plant and drink a secret from the other countries in Europe for well over 100 years.
To watch a video on YouTube about the cocoa beans histrory please click the picture
Cocoa and the world
Once the secret of the cocoa bean was discovered by the other countries in Europe, the countries started making their own cocoa drink. The cocoa bean was still difficult to cultivate and processed that only the royal and rich would be able to afford the drinks. Once the Industrial Revolution starts the cocoa drink was made affordable to the commoners. The cocoa bean became even more popular after 1850, when Joseph Fry combined the cocoa butter to the powder to form a chocolate bar. This discovery took the world by storm.
Current times
Chocolate is still a very popular food that is consumed by the world. Over 4 million tons of chocolate is eaten in a year in the world.
