Chocolate story

-    Chocolate and its evolution
-    The virtues of chocolate

Around 600 BC, during the time of the Mayans and Aztecs, cacao was diluted in hot water to be consumed as beverage, either bitter or spiced.  It was called « chocolatl » or « bitter water ”.  During this era, this chocolate drink evolved as the Mayans and Aztecs mixed the hot water and cacao with other ingredients such as, corn flour, vanilla, pepper, cinnamon, chillies, honey... etc.

However, the cacao bean didn’t just please the palate.  It was also used in trade transactions.  Mayans and Aztecs started using the beans for small exchanges, but in time they became accepted currency.  Taxation and the purchase of slaves were commonly paid for in cacao beans.
But how did this brown gold reach Europe?

Christopher Columbus was the first to discover the chocolate drink in July 1502 on the island of Guanaja (currently Honduras).  However, as he found the chocolate flavoured beverage unappealing, he didn’t bring it back to Europe.

It was not until the voyage of Hernan Cortes in 1519 when he set off for the coastline of the New World (currently Mexico) that the cacao bean would make it across the ocean.  The Emperor of Montezuma offered Cortes the cacao based beverage in 1524.   Cortez was so intrigued with the drink that he sent a package of cacao beans to Carlos V.  At the time, the bean was called « xocoatl ».  The new beverage delighted the Emperor of Spain and his court.  In Europe, drinking the chocolate beverage became a sign of refinement and privilege only enjoyed by the aristocracy.  This remained the case in Europe for the next 300 years.

France discovered cacao in 1615 through the marriage of Anne of Austria, the daughter of Philippe III of Spain, to Louis XIII.  The new Queen of France quickly introduced this new drink to her court and the clergy.

In 1657 cacao was introduced in England and by 1660 the British were cultivating cacao beans in their Jamaican colony.
At the same time, the Dutch, being skilled navigators and keen traders, quickly became aware of the interest in cacao beans and set up trade between the Americas and Europe.  This became a highly lucrative business…

In 18th century England, people slowly started adding milk to the chocolate instead of water, which made the drink even more appealing.

Finally, in the 19th century, technology enabled the growth of the chocolate industry.  The steam engine, the chocolate press, and mixing machines made the production of chocolate faster and less expensive.  Soft, creamy or in the form of a bar, chocolate was finally available to be adored by the masses in Europe.

‘Chocolate culture’ today has fundamentally changed since the time of the Aztecs.  Machinery and technology has accounted for massive improvements to the quality of chocolate as well as a variety of flavours and forms.    After WWII, French and Belgian gourmets were able to craft the finest chocolate, which is now the most sought after chocolate in the world.  Chocolatiers perfected their techniques and it became an art.  The result is that chocolate is now commonplace in our lives, but each bite still gives us a small moment of pure pleasure.

The Virtues of Chocolate

In itself, chocolate is not a high calorie item.  100 grams of bitter dark chocolate contains 490Kcal and is composed of the following minerals and trace elements:

• 400 mg of potassium
• 180-250 mg of phosphorous
• 100-140 mg of magnesium
• 40-60 mg of calcium
• 11 mg of sodium
• 4-6 mg of iron
• 0.7-1.2 mg of copper
• traces of fluoride
• 1,5% of  Theobromine  and caffeine
• vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B12 and D
  

Chocolate is an anti-depressant.  It contains a variety of natural chemicals that stimulate the central nervous system, improve muscular performance and reflexes, fight stress and  help manage depressive states of mind.  These elements include theobromine, caffeine, phenylethylamine and serotonin.


Protein : Cacao contains 8 amino acids that are essential to our daily diet

Lipides : Fatty acids contained in cacao butter helps control cholesterol levels

Glucose : The higher the cacao content of chocolate, the lower the level of sugars

Fiber : Helps regulate digestion in the intestines.  100 grams of cacao contains the same amount of fiber as 100 grams of brown bread.

Potassium : helps with cardiac metabolism and muscular contraction.

Magnesium : promotes equilibrium between the nervous and muscular systems.  Magnesium deficiency can cause anxiety, fatigue, insomnia and constipation.

Calcium : plays a fundamental role in cellular functions and the development and maintenance of teeth and bones.

Phosphorous : a very important mineral salt for our body which, combined with calcium, creates a type of screen for our  bones.

Sodium : There is 12 mg of sodium in 100 grams of dark chocolate which is excellent for a low-salt diet.  However, milk chocolate contains 100 mg in the same portion

Sources :

The success story of the Belgian Chocolate: http://users.skynet.be/chocolat/index.html
www.choco-story.be
www.chococlic.com