The history of chocolate

From the drink to the elite to the goodies of the people

Theobroma cacao means “chocolate tree” – this plant comes from Central America. The word cacao itself was used as far back as 1000 BC. the people of the Olmecs. 3,500 years ago, they were the first people to learn how to make chocolate powder. Later, this tradition was adopted by the Mayans and the Aztecs.

The chocolate tree was considered sacred, and only the upper strata of society, warriors or priests could enjoy the taste of cocoa. Both of them enjoyed a bitter drink, often heavily seasoned with spices.

The Spaniards were the first to know about the use of cocoa beans in 1519, when the conqueror Hernando Cortes landed on the shores of Mexico. He brought valuable beans to Europe. At first, the original chocolate drink did not gain much popularity. Only after sugar was added to it, chocolate won the love of the Spanish nobility and became a constant treat at the palace ceremonies.

For more than 100 years, Spain has maintained a monopoly on the sale of cocoa beans. Chocolate remained a delicacy of noble and rich people. Only when in 1850 the working class supplanted the aristocracy in Europe, the era of chocolate as a drink of the aristocracy ended.

The chocolate drink for the elite turned into chocolate bars for everyone thanks to the efforts of several prominent personalities: in 1828, Van Houten began producing cocoa powder. In 1847, Fry & Sons produced the first chocolate bar.

With the appearance of milk chocolate in 1875 by Daniel Peter, the victorious procession of chocolate began. For its production, Peter used milk powder, created several years earlier by Henry Nestle. And thanks to the conching method invented in 1879 by Rudolf Lindt, every piece of chocolate melts in your mouth.