And for the first 3,500 years of human consumption, chocolate was only bitter. Theobroma cacao, the tree that produces the beans for chocolate, comes from the Amazonian basin in South America. More than 4,000 years ago, people in the Americas started domesticating the plant.
Taste of other non-chocolate flavours such as onion or garlic or even overpowering bitterness are signs of spoiled chocolate. Cocoa powder can last a long time if stored properly in a sealed container, but can quickly take on a funky taste and scent if exposed to a pantry full of spices.
Modern mass-market chocolate is more sugar than cacao, while chocolate's original form was the opposite. Modern chocolate has evolved from the Mesoamericans' deified beverage, which had ingredients added for appearance and ceremony more so than taste.
Originally prepared only as a drink, chocolate was served as a bitter liquid, mixed with spices or corn puree. It was believed to be an aphrodisiac and to give the drinker strength.
For much of the 19th century, chocolate was enjoyed as a beverage; milk was often added instead of water. In 1847, British chocolatier J.S. Fry and Sons created the first chocolate bar molded from a paste made of sugar, chocolate liquor and cocoa butter.
The Olmec, one of the earliest civilizations in Latin America, were the first to turn the cacao plant into chocolate. They drank an ancient chocolate drink during rituals and used it as medicine. Centuries later, the Mayans praised chocolate as the drink of the gods.
Meanwhile in 1847 Fry made the first chocolate bar. However, at first, there was only dark chocolate. It was not until 1875 that a Swiss named Daniel Peter invented milk chocolate. Meanwhile, the first box of chocolates was made in 1849.
Some Bishops started to forbade it because it was seen as breaking the fast before Holy Communion. However, in 1569, Pope Pius V, who did not like chocolate, declared that drinking chocolate on Friday did not break The Fast.
Fortunately, consuming chocolate was deemed to not be a mortal sin nor break the ecclesiastical fast. Today when one thinks of fasting, one does not consider that chocolate was ever part of the discussion. Although chocolate and the Catholic Church used to be in conflict, they are now in a harmonious relationship.
The origin of the ultimate chocolate dessert dates back to twenty years ago, when Chef Marcel Desaulniers, then owner of the Trellis Restaurant, created one of the best-known chocolate masterpieces… which he declared “Death by Chocolate”.
World's oldest chocolate was made 5300 years ago—in a South American rainforest.
Switzerland is the country that is responsible for the most amount of chocolate consumed per capita. Even though there are certainly countries across the globe that consume more total chocolate than Switzerland, Switzerland consumes the most chocolate per person.
There are many theories about how chocolate came to be, but the one that is most commonly accepted is that it was first discovered by the ancient Mayans. The Mayans and the Aztecs accidentally found chocolate thousands of years ago, and they used it in a bitter liquid form.
Dark chocolate, with its higher cacao content, can be good to eat for as long as three years past the best before. Due to their high milk contents, milk and white chocolates might not last as long as dark, but their longevity is still nothing to sniff at — you can expect to get another 8 months or so out of it.
The ancient ancestor of hot chocolate dates back thousands of years to the Aztec, Olmec, and Mayan cultures of what is today Mexico and Central America. Though made from cocoa, this early cocoa-based drink was neither hot nor very chocolatey—at least, not by today's Hershey-fied standards.
Chocolate can go bad in the heat. If the chocolate melts or if condensation forms because of temperature changes then bacteria and mold could start to grow on the chocolate.
Because chocolate is a plant-derived food item or ingredient, it is generally considered halal.
Contrary to popular belief, Catholics can consume chocolate normally. However, Catholics do not eat chocolate during the month of lent. Chocolate is among the foods that Catholics avoid during the month of Lent in order to unite themselves more closely to Jesus in the desert.
Chocolate is not a controlled substance, and it cannot be prescribed — meaning for all intents and purposes, it is not a drug. However, for a person who has been struggling with compulsive overeating or any other type of eating disorder, chocolate can act like a drug.
In particular, the centrality of chocolate in the Aztec religious lore and its perceived mystical qualities of healing and distorting the mind made chocolate a problematic symbol for the Catholic Spaniards arriving in the New World, often standing in opposition to a Catholic world view.
Female reproductive hormones, Estrogen and Progesterone may be responsible for more women craving chocolate than men. These hormones are vital in women's menstrual cycles leading to physical and more commonly psychological changes during their periods.
Dark chocolate contains vitamin A, B1, C, D and E. In addition, it also contains antioxidants of phenol and flavonoids, rich in minerals such as potassium, calcium, iron, a little omega 3 and 6, and high magnesium which can reduce menstrual and premenstrual pain in women.
The first chocolate drink is believed to have been created by the Maya around 2,500–3,000 years ago, and a cocoa drink was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 AD, by which they referred to as xocōlātl.
Yes, dairy in dark chocolate! These new “dark milk” bars generally contain a higher percentage of cacao than traditional milk bars — usually around 60 percent, compared with 30 percent.
100% Dark Chocolate Health Benefits
Dark chocolate is full of flavonoids, which provide many health benefits. Flavonoids are a type of polyphenol that contain powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They are found naturally in vegetables, fruits and products made from plants (like 100 dark chocolate).