We have all grown up enjoying chocolate whether it be between a graham cracker and marshmallow around the fire or baked into Grandma’s cookies, but how did this sweet treat become a sweet-tooth favorite? To understand this let us first take a look at the origins of chocolate in early Mesoamerica.
Lab results show that chocolate dates as far back as 1900 B.C. where it was used by those living in present-day Mexico[1]. Chocolate, which is derived from cacao plants, has not always been as sweet as it is today. Early consumption of cacao was in the form of a beverage that was mixed with various natural flavorings such as honey, water, and chili peppers[2]. The Aztecs coined this drink as “xocoatl” which is where we have eventually gotten today’s name, chocolate[3]. Ancient civilizations believed that consumption of chocolate would expand their life spans and, therefore, was consumed in vast quantities by royals and rulers[4].
Use of cacao goes beyond being a prestigious beverage for ancient leaders. Throughout various Mesoamerican societies cacao was used as a currency and payment for labor[5]. During this time period, one could trade 100 cacao beans for an entire turkey hen, or three beans for one turkey egg[6]. It is said that cacao beans were more valuable than gold for the Aztecs[7].
Chocolate admiration goes even further, “Both the Mayans and Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical, or even divine, properties, suitable for use in the most sacred rituals of birth, marriage and death”[8]. Within these sacred rituals chocolate had also been used as an alternative to human blood as a sacrifice for the gods. Archeologists have found drawings of these ancient gods holding the pods of cacao as well as other parts of the plant, displaying the significance of the fruit in these cultures[9].
[1] Christopher Klein, ”The Sweet History of Chocolate,” last modified February 3, 2014, https://www.history.com/news/the-sweet-history-of-chocolate .
[2] Christopher Klein, ”The Sweet History of Chocolate,” last modified February 3, 2014, https://www.history.com/news/the-sweet-history-of-chocolate .
[3] Amanda Fiegl, ”A Brief History of Chocolate,” last modified March 1, 2008, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-chocolate-21860917/ .
[4] Sophia D. Coe and Michael D. Coe, The True History of Chocolate (New York: Thams and Hudson, 2013), 64.
[5] Sophia D. Coe and Michael D. Coe, The True History of Chocolate (New York: Thams and Hudson, 2013), 137.
[6] “When Money Grew On Trees,” Cornell University, accessed September 25, 2018, http://exhibits.mannlib.cornell.edu/chocolate/moneygrewontrees.php
[7] “History of Chocolate,” History, A&E Television Networks, last modified August 21, 2018, https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/history-of-chocolate .
[8] Amanda Fiegl, ”A Brief History of Chocolate,” last modified March 1, 2008, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-chocolate-21860917/
[9] Sophia D. Coe and Michael D. Coe, The True History of Chocolate (New York: Thams and Hudson, 2013), 62.
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