Key Information
Food – Chocolate
| Type | A food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels |
| Developed By | Mayo-Chinchipe |
| First Confirmed Documentation | Before 1750 BCE |
| Main Sources | Cacao Bean |
Learning Point
- Chocolate has long been a part of human history, especially in the Americas. It was used early on as a bitter drink that was popular among the wealthy in Mesoamerican cultures, before being turned into a food during the 18th and 19th centuries by various Europeans. It then was made sweeter by adding sugar and other ingredients.
Project
- Draw yourself making chocolate or your favourite chocolate.
- Overview
- Aztec
- Cacao Pods
Media
Location
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| Originates From | Montegrande, Jaén District, Peru |
Fun Facts
- The word “chocolate” comes from the Classical Nahuatl word xocolātl, meaning bitter (xoco) water (atl).
- Although much of the early history of chocolate comes from Central America, evidence now shows the cacao plant came from South America first.
- All of the people conquered by the Aztecs that grew cacao beans were ordered to pay cacao beans as a tax and so the cacao bean became a form of currency.
- Early pioneers in chocolate were people like Walter Churchman (grinding machinery), Joseph Fry (moulding chocolate), Coenraad van Houten (cheaper production), Daniel Peter (milk chocolate), Rodlophe Lindt (smoother chocolate), Henrí Nestlé (early chocolate company), John Cadbury (early chocolate company), Milton S. Hershey (early chocolate company)
Past Lessons
| 114 | March 7, 2024 | (North America) |