In my delightful day planners…I say planners because some are on my computer, a notebook I carry, a memo pad in my purse, and a post it note or scrap paper here in there, I forgot the very important International Chocolate day that passed this last week. How could I forget you ask? Well I am one of those very odd ducks that do not like the brown stuff I refer to as eating dirt. Strange I know, and even sacrilegious to some. I am sure I will receive a flood of comments and e-mails as to how I could possibly reject the food of the gods, the coveted treat that gets most of us through a lousy day. Unfortunately, I am sorry to say I do not chow down on a bucket of Double Chocolate Chip during that time of the month, eat a half dozen Death by Chocolate muffins after a big blow out, or consume a bag of anything covered in it when the stress gets too much. But, that does not stop me from recognizing the importance of it in many other people’s lives, therefore warranting a bit of my attention.

Fascinating, is the story and history of chocolate. Revered by the Mayans and capitalized on by the Spaniards, its origin and journey to becoming one of our favorite treats is very interesting. Visit Candy USA at for a complete and well written summary of how chocolate as we know it, came to be.

The idea of having permission, or even encouragement to delve into anything chocolate probably had many of you consuming a little extra last week. I’d like to say that if you already knew about the day and enjoyed a splurge, and are now reading this, you have my consent to go ahead and splurge again.

Chocolate, despite it once having been linked to acne, tooth decay, migraines and numerous other ailments, now seems to have been given a renewed opinion. Recent studies dispute chocolate as a factor in some health problems, and instead indicate low physical activity or insufficient nutrient intake as the real cause.

The notion that chocolate arouses sexual activity is a marketing gold mine. Many agree to the claim, others not. You will have to be the judge on that one, but according to Wikipedia, Romantic lore commonly identifies chocolate as an aphrodisiac. The reputed aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate are most often associated with the simple sensual pleasure of its consumption. Although there is no firm proof that chocolate is indeed an aphrodisiac, a gift of chocolate is a familiar courtship ritual.

Truth be told, no matter what is said about chocolate, the art of consuming it is enjoyed and desired by many. Be it chocolate turds, chocolate covered frogs legs, dipped chocolate dung beetles, chocolate band aides or a chocolate wrapped hot dog, somehow chocolate makes everything taste better and those consuming it feel happier.

Standing on my soapbox,

JB

Here is what Candy USA has to say about the history of Chocolate:

“Chocolate: Food of the Gods

The story of chocolate, as far back as we know it, begins more than 2000 years ago in equatorial Central America where the Mayan Indians held cocoa beans in high regard. Images of cocoa pods were carved into the walls of their elaborate stone temples, and Mayan writings refer to cacao as “food of the gods.” It was the Mayans who first created a beverage from crushed cocoa beans which was enjoyed by royalty and shared at sacred ceremonies.

Chocolate’s importance in the Aztec Empire also is clearly recorded. The Aztecs called the prized drink they made from cocoa beans “chocolatl,” which means “warm liquid.” Like the earlier Mayans, the Aztecs drank the unsweetened beverage during special ceremonies. Montezuma II, a royal monarch of the Aztecs, maintained great storehouses filled with cocoa beans and reportedly consumed 50 or more portions of chocolatl daily from a golden goblet. Cocoa beans, however, weren’t only consumed. They also were used as a form of currency. According to records of the time, a rabbit could be purchased for four cocoa beans.

Europe was first introduced to the principal ingredient of chocolate when Christopher Columbus brought a handful of the dark, almond-shaped beans back to Spain from his last voyage to the Caribbean islands in 1502. He presented many strange and wonderful objects from the lands he explored to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Included among them were cocoa beans, placed before royalty as little more than a curiosity. They appeared most unpromising. The King and Queen of Spain never dreamed how important cocoa beans would become. It remained for Hernando Cortes, the Spanish explorer, to grasp the commercial possibilities of cocoa beans.

Chocolate Travels to Spain

When Cortes arrived in what is now known as Mexico in 1519, the Aztecs mistakenly believed that he was the reincarnation of a former god-king who had been exiled from the land. They did not realize that Cortes was seeking Aztec gold which was rumored to exist. Montezuma greeted the Spanish explorers with a large banquet which included cups of a bitter chocolate drink. By the time the Aztecs realized their mistake, the Spanish had begun to overpower them. Within three years, Cortes and his followers brought about the fall of the Aztec empire.

During this time, Cortes realized the economic potential for cocoa beans. He experimented with chocolatl, adding cane sugar to make it more agreeable to Spanish tastes. He also established additional cacao plantings in the Caribbean region before returning to Spain.

Back in Spain, the new version of chocolatl found favor with the wealthy, and continued to undergo flavor refinements. Newly imported spices, such as cinnamon and vanilla, were added to the drink. Ultimately, someone decided the drink would taste better if served steaming hot, creating the first hot chocolate, which quickly won followers among the Spanish aristocracy. Spain proceeded to plant more cacao trees in its overseas colonies in Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Jamaica to ensure an ample supply of cocoa beans. Remarkably, the Spanish were able to keep their ventures in cocoa cultivation and their creation of early cocoa drinks a secret from the rest of Europe for nearly one hundred years.

Chocolate Spreads Across Europe

Spanish monks were assigned the task of processing the cocoa beans. It may have been these monks who let out the secret by discussing cocoa with their French counterparts. Then, in 1580, the first cocoa processing plant was established in Spain. It did not take long before chocolate was acclaimed throughout Europe as a delicious, health-giving drink. For a while it reigned as the chosen beverage at the fashionable Court of France. Chocolate drinking spread across the English Channel to Great Britain, and in 1657 the first of many famous English Chocolate Houses appeared.

Mass production of cocoa became possible with the introduction of a perfected steam engine, which mechanized the cocoa grinding process. By 1730, cocoa had dropped in price from three dollars or more per pound to within financial reach of all.

The invention of the cocoa press in 1828 was another major breakthrough in cocoa production. This not only helped reduce prices even further, but more importantly, improved the quality of the beverage by squeezing out about half of the cocoa butter (the fat that occurs naturally in cocoa beans) from the ground-up beans, leaving behind a cake-like residue that could be further processed into a fine powder. From then on, chocolate drinks had more of the smooth consistency and the recognizable flavor of those enjoyed today.

The 19th Century witnessed two more revolutionary developments in the history of chocolate. In 1847, an English company introduced the first solid eating chocolate made by combining melted cocoa butter with sugar and cocoa powder. This chocolate had a smooth, velvety texture and quickly replaced the old coarse-grained chocolate which formerly dominated the world market. The second development occurred in 1876 in Vevey, Switzerland, when Daniel Peter devised a way of adding milk to chocolate, creating the product we enjoy today known as milk chocolate.

Chocolate Comes to America

In the United States of America, the production of chocolate proceeded at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. It was in pre-revolutionary New England — 1765, to be exact — that the first chocolate factory was established in this country. During World War II, the U.S. government recognized chocolate’s role in the nourishment and group spirit of the Allied Armed Forces, so much so that it allocated valuable shipping space for the importation of cocoa beans. Many soldiers were thankful for the chocolate bars, which gave them the energy to carry on until more food rations could be obtained. Today, the U.S. Army’s Meals Ready to Eat contain chocolate bars and chocolate candies, and chocolate has been taken into space as part of the diet of U.S. astronauts. “