The history of cocoa

 The discovery of cocoa by the Olmecs

Historians believe that the Olmecs first discovered that the cocoa fruit was edible by observing rats eating it.  The Olmecs (1500-400 BC) were certainly the first humans to consume chocolate, originally in the form of a drink. They crushed cocoa beans, mixed them with water and added spices, chili peppers and herbs. They began growing cocoa in equatorial Mexico. Over time, the Mayans (600 BC) and Aztecs (400 AD) also developed effective methods for growing cocoa. The cocoa bean was used as a monetary unit and a unit of measurement, 400 beans being equivalent to a Zontli and 8000 to a Xiquipilli. During their wars with the Aztecs and Mayans, the Chimimeken people's preferred method of collecting taxes from conquered regions was in the form of cocoa beans.

For these civilizations, cocoa was a symbol of abundance. It was used in religious rituals dedicated to Quetzalcoatl (Feathered Serpent), the Aztec god responsible for bringing the cocoa tree to man, to Chak ek Chuah, the Mayan patron saint of cocoa and as an offering at the funerals of nobles.

Cacao production grew as people migrated across Mesoamerica, but consumption of the beverage remained a privilege for the upper classes and for soldiers during battle. At this time, the invigorating and strengthening properties of cocoa were increasingly widely recognized and adopted.

 

Discovery and marketing of cocoa (16th century)

In 1502 during his fourth voyage, Christopher Columbus first sighted cocoa beans on a native canoe during a stopover in Nicaragua, but he did not appreciate its impressive potential value. The true importance of this "brown gold" was not recognized until Hernando Cortez drank it with the Aztec emperor Montezuma and brought it back to the Spanish court in 1528 along with the equipment needed to brew the drink . Even then, it is unlikely that anyone would have considered its ultimate importance as a global commodity.

After a successful war against native tribes and the fall of the Aztec civilization, Cortez intensified his cultivation efforts in New Spain, intending to develop a lucrative trade with Europe.

The Spanish court quickly fell under the spell of this exotic elixir and adapted it to their taste by adding cane sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and pepper. Initially, Spain reserved cocoa for its exclusive use, carefully protecting its existence from the rest of the world. They were so successful in keeping cocoa a secret that when a group of English pirates captured a Spanish galleon, not recognizing the value of the heavy cargo of beans, they burned it!

In 1585, the first shipment of cocoa beans arrived on the Iberian Peninsula from New Spain, launching the cocoa trade and leading to the establishment of the first chocolate factories, ushering in a new era of rapidly growing demand for this mysterious nectar of the new world. 

The expansion of cocoa in Europe (17th - 19th centuries)

During the 17th century, cocoa began to arrive in other ports of Europe, effortlessly conquering the palates of all regions. Chocolate drinks were first adopted by the French court after the royal marriage of King Louis XIII to the Spanish Princess Anne of Austria in 1615.

In 1650, chocolate drinks first appeared in England, coinciding with the arrival of tea from China and coffee from the Middle East. For many years it remained a treat reserved for the upper classes. In 1659, the first chocolate-confectionery opened in Paris. In 1720, Italian chocolatiers received prizes rewarding the quality of their products. Finally, in 1765, North America discovered the virtues of cocoa.

In this way, chocolate expanded across Europe and the world, and slowly the presentation of chocolate changed. The first chocolate pastille appeared in England in 1674; cocoa powder was initially produced by the Dutch in 1828; the chocolate bar was born in Great Britain in 1830; and, the Swiss successfully entered the chocolate market with milk chocolate in 1830, followed shortly thereafter with chocolate infused with hazelnuts.

Thanks to this long period of culinary and manufacturing innovations, chocolate consumption rapidly and continually increased. The pharmacological uses of cocoa and cocoa derivatives have also been widely explored, which is not too surprising given the properties its early consumers attributed to it (i.e. fortifying, restorative, aphrodisiac).