Even the scientific establishment has not been immune to the allure of chocolate. It was the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus who, while methodically cataloging the world's plants and animals, had a moment of poetic inspiration and named the cacao tree, the source of chocolate, Theobroma cacao, or 'food of the gods'. It is a description few chocoholics would argue with.
The Mayan Symbol for Chocolate
The cacao (or cocoa) tree originated in the wilds of the Amazon and Orinoco basins some four thousand years ago. It was cultivated by the early Maya, whose civilization began to take shape in the lowlands of Central America around 1500 BC - the word 'cacao' is Mayan, probably inherited from the earlier Olmec. In 1986, the hieroglyphic symbol for chocolate was finally deciphered after the discovery of a jar found at Rio Azul in northern Guatemala. Chemical analysis confirmed that the residue in the ancient vessel was indeed chocolate. A paper published in the journal Nature in 2002 reports further findings from the Mayan site at Colha in Belize which show that the Maya consumed chocolate as early as 600 BC.
The History of Chocolate, the Food of the Gods
For the Maya, chocolate was strictly a drink of the elite, as it was for the Aztecs. Spanish accounts tell of it being drunk from golden goblets which were thrown away after one use. They also say it tasted horrible. The addition of sugar and vanilla was necessary to make the bitter drink palatable to European tastes. Both the Maya and the Aztecs used cacao beans as currency - one hundred beans would buy a slave, twelve the services of a courtesan. The Spanish Conquistadors were not slow to catch on to the ramifications, establishing cacao plantations and trying to maintain their monopoly.
While still an expensive aristocratic preserve, the secret of drinking chocolate gradually spread through Europe, reaching England in about 1650, where it was hailed by Samuel Pepys as a hangover cure on the morning after Charles II's coronation. The Quakers also sang its praises, declaring it a healthy substitute for gin. However, it was only in the nineteenth century a combination of lowered taxes, increased imports and technological innovation brought chocolate to the masses for the first time.
Chocolate as Comfort Food
From harvesting the beans of the cacao tree to buying an extravagantly wrapped Easter egg in a high street confectioner's is a lengthy process. The cacao tree is a delicate plant, thriving only in the moist tropical conditions 20 degrees north and south of the Equator. Harvesting is a labor intensive business, after which the beans are fermented and then sun-dried before being bagged for export. After arriving at the chocolate factory, a highly automated place today, the beans are sorted and roasted to develop their flavor, then shelled and ground. The heat of the grinding process melts the fat in the beans, resulting in a chocolate liquor. At this point it at last resembles what we think of as chocolate.
It has been said that the good things in life are either illegal or fattening. Chocolate has certainly been blamed for acne and weight gain, but its appeal has over-ridden such worries. With its dual image as romantic treat and comfort food, the 'food of the gods' is likely to be around for at least another four thousand years.
Sources
Coe, Sophie and Coe, Michael D, (1996), The True History of Chocolate, Thames & Hudson
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