When it all began

The history of chocolate can be traced back to thousands of years to the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations of Central America. The origins of chocolate begin in Mesoamerica, a regional and cultural area extending from central Mexico to Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Cocoa or cacao is the main ingredient of chocolate and is said to date back at least 4,000 years. The use of fermented, roasted and ground beans from the cocoa tree, Theobroma, can be traced back to pre-Olmec people, such as the Mokaya. Both the Maya and Aztec tribes used cacao seeds to make spicy and bitter beverages as ‘tributes’, which they offered to their gods during sacred ceremonies. Before cocoa beans were used for making chocolate they were first used for making cocoa beverages.

It was during the 6th century that the Mayan people started using cocoa beans for chocolate. Cocoa pods were an important part of Mayan culture as they symbolized life and fertility. From the 1500s onwards cocoa was used for trading and was exported to other countries. During the 1600s, France was introduced to chocolate. A chocolate craze took hold of Paris when it gained a reputation as an aphrodisiac amongst the French royal courts. When the Spanish Princess Maria Theresa was betrothed to Louis XIV of France, she gave him an engagement gift of chocolate.

Europe finds out about Cocoa

In 1657, the first chocolate business in London opened, and it was the place to be seen for the elite London society. Soon, many coffee houses began to open around Europe, serving chocolate in cakes and other treats. In 1765, the first chocolate factory in the USA was opened, and the production of chocolate was faster than anywhere else in the world. Switzerland became popular for making some of the finest chocolate in the world when Daniel Peter, a Swiss chocolate maker, put the first gourmet milk chocolate on the market in 1875. Soon many other chocolate brands started popping up, such as Lindt and Nestle, producing both white and dark chocolate, as well as diabetes-friendly chocolate bars. Nowadays, there is also a strong focus on fair trade chocolate by companies like Galaxy.

Europeans used two ingredients unknown to the Mayans in order to sweeten chocolate; sugar and milk. Unlike the Mayans, Europeans never used chocolate as part of their general diet. During the Industrial Revolution mechanical mills were created which helped to squeeze out cocoa butter. However, it was not until the 19th century that the history of chocolate made a revolutionary turn when John Cadbury developed the popular emulsification process which served to create solid chocolate for making premium chocolate bars, truffles, Easter eggs and other goodies. With an increase in the construction of machines during and after the Industrial Revolution, more and more companies took to making and advertising chocolate treats, and chocolate soon became a popular consumer product around the world.

Where does the word come from?

The origin of the word ‘chocolate’ is still unknown, but there are many assumptions that it derives from the language of the Nahuatl, an Aztecs tribe. The Nahuatl word ‘xocolatl’ means ‘bitter water’, and is said to be the word which entered the English language to refer to chocolate. The word ‘xocolatl’ has its origins in the words ‘chokol’ meaning hot and ‘atl’ meaning water.

Chocolate was seen as a luxury until the 1900s when it became affordable to everyone. Now it is seen as a popular choice of gift for children, weddings, Christmas, birthdays, or even as a snack.

Although cacao originates from South America, today Western Africa is the world’s largest producer of cocoa. Chocolate is now seen as an important part of Swiss, Belgian, and French culture. Europe is popular for its coffee shops which specialise in making personalized handmade chocolates which are amongst the best in the world.