Cocoa's Journey: From Mesoamerican Currency to European Delicacy

The historical and economic importance of cocoa beans can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as the Mayas and the Aztecs, who held them in high regard not only as a beverage but also as a form of money. Within Aztec culture, the belief in the mystical qualities of chocolatl, a drink made from cocoa pods and indigenous spices, was deeply ingrained, with consumption linked to gaining wisdom and strength.

In the pivotal event of 1519, Spanish explorer Don Hernán Cortés entered the Aztec capital, initially mistaken for the deity Quetzalcoatl. Greeted warmly by Emperor Moctezuma II, Cortés was introduced to chocolatl, a beverage considered a regal offering by Montezuma. Though initially put off by its bitterness, Cortés gradually developed a taste for the drink and recognized its use as a local medium of exchange, acknowledging its potential commercial value.

Cortés' subsequent return with armed forces was a significant turning point, resulting in the downfall of the Aztec empire and the introduction of cocoa beans to Europe. Bringing cocoa beans to Spain in 1528, Cortés sparked the dissemination of chocolate consumption across the continent, with its popularity spreading to England by the 1650s.

However, the adaptation of chocolate in Europe underwent alterations. Dominican friars, presenting cocoa to Prince Philip of Spain in 1544, introduced European spices to improve its flavor, supplanting traditional New World spices like chili. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and anise were substituted for vanilla and annatto, catering to European palates.

The exchange of cocoa between the New World and Europe not only facilitated the transfer of goods but also facilitated cultural exchange. From its origins as a revered beverage and currency in Mesoamerica to its evolution into a beloved drink in Europe, the narrative of chocolate encapsulates the intricate intersections of history, commerce, and cultural interaction.
Cocoa's Journey: From Mesoamerican Currency to European Delicacy

Cocoa bean worshipped by the Mayans and Aztecs

In ancient Latin America, chocolate was worshipped. Both the Mayan and Aztec people had gods that they believed were responsible for bringing chocolate to the earth. Chocolate is often referred to as the "food of the gods". The phrase may have its roots in the Mayan religion.

The two cultures, Mayan and Aztec consumed chocolate as a drink, which was popular among nobility.

Mayans worshipping the cocoa bean as an idol closely linked to the merchant god Ek Chuah, and vases filled with cocoa beans were a common offering to the gods at the funerals of leading men in Mayan history.

According to Aztec mythology, the cacao tree was brought down from heaven by a god named Quetzacoatl. So, the drink made from its beans was believed to impart wisdom and power.

The Olmecs, who lived in what is now Southern Central America from around 1200 BC, are believed to be the first tribe to actually farm the cocoa tree. They also believed the seeds of the plant held an almost mythical quality, guaranteeing health and power.

The Olmecs were succeeded by the Mayans, who began cultivating cocoa trees on organized plantations in the lowlands of South Yucatan from around 600 AD.

It was believed that the cocoa bean had magical powers, and it was used during major life events like births, marriages and deaths.
Cocoa bean worshipped by the Mayans and Aztecs

History of Aztec and vanilla flavor

Vanilla is indigenous to Central America from southeastern Mexico through Guatemala to Panama. The Aztec people, who lived in present-day Mexico, were among the first to use vanilla. They traded for vanilla with other peoples, such as the Totonac, who also lived in Mexico.

In Nahuatl, the Aztec language, vanilla is called tlilxochitl and its seeds collected from wild plants were considered among the most important tributes paid to the Aztec leader.

Vanilla became a favorite of the Aztec nobility. In the royal court it was considered an aphrodisiac. A Franciscan friar, Benrhardino de Saghun, write about Mexican vanilla in the early 16th is quoted as saying that the Aztecs used vanilla seeds in cocoa drinks and as a medicine and sold them in their markets. Meanwhile,

Hernando Cortes, the Spanish conqueror of the Aztecs, became the first European to tats vanilla when he drank chocotatl in Montezuma’s banquet hall.

Although the Spaniards imported vanilla beans to Europe, where they were used to flavor chocolate, which the Spaniards also borrowed from the Aztec, vanilla processing factories were not established in Europe until the late 1700s.
History of Aztec and vanilla flavor

History of Chocolate as a Drink

History of Chocolate as a Drink
The first known cocoa plantations were established by the Maya in the lowlands of south Yucatan about 600 AD.

Cocoa trees were being grown by Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of Peru when the Europeans discovered central America.

The bean were highly prized and used as money as well as to produce a drink known as chocolatl.

The beans were roasted in earthenware pots and crushed between stones, sometimes using decorated heated tables ad mill stones.

They could then be kneaded into cakes, which could be mixed with cold water to make a drink.

Vanilla, spices or honey were often added and the drink whipped to make it frothy. The Aztec Emperor Montezeuma was said to have drink 50 jars of this beverage per day.

Christopher Columbus bought back some coca beans to Europe as a curiosity, but it was only after the Spaniard conquered Mexico that Don Cortez introduced the drink to Spain in the 1520s.

Here sugar was added to overcome some of the bitter, astringent flavors, but the drinks remained virtually unknown in the rest of Europe for almost a hundred years, coming to Italy in 1606 and France in 1627.

It was very expensive and being a drink for the aristocracy, its spread was often connected to connections between powerful families.

For example the Spanish princess, Anna of Austria, introduced it to her husband King Louis XIII of France and the French court in about 1615. Here Cardinal Richelieu enjoyed it both as a drink to aid his digestion.

Its flavors was not liked by every one and one pope in fact declared that it could be drunk during fast, because it taste was so bad.

The first chocolate drinking houses were established in London in 1657 and it was mentioned in Pepys’s Diary of 1664 where he wrote that ‘jocolatte’ was ‘very good’.

In 1727 milk was added to the drink. This invention is generally attributed to Nicholas Sanders.

During the 18th century White’s Chocolate House became the fashionable place for young Londoners, while politicians of the day went to the Cocoa Tree Chocolate House.

One problem with the chocolate drink was that it was very fatty. Over half of the cocoa bean is made up of cocoa butter. This was melt in hot water making the cocoa particles hard to disperse as well as looking unpleasant because of fat coming to the surface.

The Dutch, however, found a way of improving the drink by removing part of this fat. In 1828 Van Houten developed the cocoa press.

This was quite remarkable, as his entire factory was manually operated at the time. The cocoa bean cotyledons (known as cocoa nibs) were pressed to produce a hard ‘cake’ with about half the fat removed.

This was milled into a powder, which could be used to produce a much less fatty drink. In order to make this powder disperse better in the hot water or milk, the Dutch treated the cocoa beans during the roasting process with an alkali liquid.

This has subsequently become known as the Dutching process. By changing the type of alkalizing agent, it also became possible to adjust the color of the cocoa powder.
History of Chocolate as a Drink