Buzz
In 2017, two members of a Russian crime syndicate in the United States were accused of smuggling and selling 10,000 pounds of “stolen chocolate treats.” The indictment didn’t specify whether the criminals indulged in any of the stolen goods, but if they had a taste for sweets, they wouldn’t have been alone: Napoleon Bonaparte was a fan of chocolate, reportedly enjoying it as a late-night drink. Thomas Jefferson developed a fondness for it while serving as the U.S. minister to France and predicted it would one day rival tea and coffee in popularity. And while she may not have uttered “let them eat cake,” Marie Antoinette was known to savor hot chocolate, served regularly at the Palace of Versailles.
For centuries, chocolate has enjoyed global fame, but it wasn’t always the sweet, readily available treat we recognize today. What exactly is chocolate, and how did it evolve from a revered drink to a favorite snack?
The Journey of Chocolate from Cacao
All chocolate begins with the cacao tree, native to the Americas but now cultivated in tropical areas around the world. The fruit of the cacao tree, known as pods, resemble the size of a football and contain around 40 cacao beans, which are actually seeds.
When fermented and roasted, cacao beans develop a deep, complex flavor that defines chocolate’s taste. The term cacao refers to the plant and its seeds before processing, while chocolate is used for the products made from those processed beans. As for cacao vs. cocoa, they’re often used interchangeably, though cacao tends to refer to the plant or less processed stages, while cocoa is used for the more refined products.
The origins of turning raw cacao beans into chocolate remain debated. A popular theory suggests that early humans were initially attracted to the pulp of cacao pods, using it to craft an alcoholic drink. The earliest known evidence of cacao consumption dates back around 5000 years, in present-day Ecuador.
Chocolate eventually spread northward. Traces of cacao residue have been discovered in artifacts from the Olmec civilization in southern Mexico. It remains uncertain whether this cacao was used for fermented, beer-like drinks or was closer to the chocolate we recognize today.
In ancient Central America and southern Mexico, the Maya had a rich tradition of consuming chocolate, although it was very different from modern-day chocolate bars. Instead of solid chocolate, they drank it, using fermented cacao beans from pods to make their chocolate beverages.
Fermentation is basically controlled rot. Microorganisms like yeast and bacteria break down the organic substances in food, changing the taste on a biochemical level without making the food go bad. Fermentation also generates heat, and when a pile of cacao beans ferments, it can exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This heat is essential in developing chocolate’s signature flavor and aroma. It unlocks flavor compounds we associate with chocolate and activates enzymes that mellow the cacao beans’ natural bitterness. It’s also what kills the germ, or embyro, in the middle of a bean that would cause it to sprout, and dissolves any leftover pulp from the cacao pod surrounding the beans.
After they’re fermented for several days, cacao beans are dried, roasted, shelled, and ground into a paste called chocolate liquor. Roasting is an important step. It creates
Chocolate Beverages and Cacao Currency
These early steps in the chocolate-making process haven’t changed much over the centuries. The main difference in the Maya preparation came after the beans were processed. Instead of using the ground cacao beans to make candy or desserts, they mixed the paste with water, cornmeal, and spices like chili peppers to make a thick, savory beverage. By pouring the liquid from one container to another a few times, they were able to give it a frothy head, which was a big part of the drink’s appeal.
Chocolate was especially popular among elite members of society. It was enjoyed by Maya rulers, and cacao beans and chocolate paraphernalia have been found in royal tombs. Priests drank chocolate and used it in religious ceremonies. Cacao was considered a gift from the gods, and it was featured in Maya weddings, where the bride and groom would exchange sips of the beverage to seal their union. After important transactions were agreed to, the two parties would share a drink of chocolate to make it official.
The Aztecs, who ruled central Mexico from about 1300 to 1521, shared an equal passion for chocolate. They even used cacao beans as currency. A single bean could buy you a tamale, and 100 beans were enough to purchase a quality female turkey.
Chocolate also played a part in Aztec religious rituals. Sophie and Michael Coe, in their book The True History of Chocolate, describe a Spanish chronicler’s account of sacrifice victims who, unwilling to dance before their deaths, were given chocolate—mixed with the blood of previous human sacrifices—to lift their spirits.
Aztec legend claims that Emperor Montezuma II (or Moctezuma, as it’s increasingly called in English for accuracy) was said to consume a gallon of chocolate every day. But his fondness for the drink wasn’t merely for pleasure. Chocolate was considered an aphrodisiac, and he allegedly indulged in it to fuel his many romantic endeavors.
Chocolate has retained its reputation as a romantic treat, though scientific support for its aphrodisiac qualities is somewhat limited. It contains tryptophan and phenylethylamine, with tryptophan helping the body produce serotonin, which is associated with feelings of happiness, and phenylethylamine stimulating the release of dopamine, known as the “feel-good” neurotransmitter. While these compounds might be classified as aphrodisiacs, there’s likely not enough of them in cacao beans to cause any notable effect.
Chocolate's European Introduction
The term chocolate originated in Mesoamerica. Like the Aztecs and Maya, the Pipil people of present-day El Salvador brewed drinks from cacao beans, referring to these beverages as chocola-tl. It's believed that when the first Spaniards visited the region, they adopted the word. The name has endured, largely unchanged from its original form.
Numerous European explorers, from Christopher Columbus to Hernan Cortes, are often credited with bringing chocolate to Europe after their journeys to the Americas. However, some historians argue that Spanish missionaries played a key role in introducing cacao across the Atlantic. Upon their return from the New World, Catholic friars presented a group of Maya dignitaries at the court of Prince Philip in 1544, bringing chocolate as a gift. This event marks the first recorded evidence of chocolate in Spain.
Before long, chocolate made its way across Europe, where it underwent a significant transformation. The drink, too bitter for European tastes, was sweetened with added sugar. Each country contributed its own distinct spices—Spanish chocolate was flavored with cinnamon and vanilla, while the French preferred to add cloves.
In Europe, as in Mesoamerica, chocolate was a luxury enjoyed primarily by the upper classes. In 17th-century Britain, a pound of chocolate cost 15 shillings, which equaled about 10 days' worth of wages for a skilled tradesman. In 1657, London opened its first chocolate house, a social venue where men gathered to gamble, conduct business, and engage in political discussions over a cup of cocoa.
Cadbury Versus Fry
By the 19th century, chocolate was already a global sensation, but it might not have achieved its widespread popularity if not for a Dutch chemist named Coenraad Johannes van Houten. In 1828, he discovered that by removing some of the fat, or cocoa butter, from chocolate liquor and treating it with alkaline salts, he could turn the ingredient into a new, more refined powder. Alkaline substances, in essence, neutralize acidity; this made the resulting product smoother and gave it a more earthy flavor. So when you see natural cocoa powder and Dutch-process cocoa powder at the store, know that the natural version will tend to be more acidic than van Houten’s smoother, milder creation.
Dutch cocoa powder was easier to blend with water compared to ground-up cacao beans, but the invention had far-reaching effects. It ultimately paved the way for the creation of the first modern chocolate bars. In 1847, a British candy maker, J.S. Fry & Sons, mixed melted cocoa butter back into cocoa powder, letting it harden into solid chocolate. If you haven’t heard of J.S. Fry & Sons, you’ve likely heard of Cadbury, who made history by creating the first heart-shaped chocolate box in the 1860s.
In the 1900s, the two companies began working together to import South American cacao beans to England, but eventually, the Cadburys negotiated deals with farmers to cut their rival partners out of the supply chain. This sparked a bit of a Chocolate Feud: In his book Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light, Mort Rosenblum recounts the tale of Cecil Fry’s funeral at Westminster Abbey. When Fry’s widow saw a member of the Cadbury family walk into the ceremony late, she reportedly stood up and shouted, “Get out, Devil.”
From Nestlé to Hershey
In the mid-19th century, Swiss chemist Henri Nestlé developed a powdered milk product, which a fellow Swiss, Daniel Peter, decided to mix into chocolate. This marked the birth of milk chocolate.
According to the FDA standards, milk chocolate must contain at least 10 percent chocolate liquor and 12 percent milk solids. However, these requirements are not the same everywhere; in Europe, milk chocolate must contain a minimum of 25 percent dry cocoa solids and 14 percent dry milk solids. (When it comes to white chocolate, though, the only component from cacao beans is cocoa butter, sparking debate about whether it should even be classified as chocolate.)
The company most Americans associate with chocolate didn’t appear on the scene until quite recently. Milton Hershey originally sold caramels before venturing into chocolate bars. It was at the 1893 World’s Fair that he became enamored with chocolate after seeing Germany’s chocolate production display. So impressed, he purchased their machinery after the event and started his own chocolate business the following year. An early Hershey’s slogan was, “Our Milk Chocolates are highly nutritious, easily digested, and far more sustaining than meat.”
In 1900, Milton Hershey sold his caramel business for $1 million and fully committed himself to the Hershey Chocolate Company. The business grew so large that Hershey built an entire town for his workers. Today, visitors can go to Hershey, Pennsylvania, for candy-themed rides at Hersheypark, learn about chocolate production at Hershey’s Chocolate World, or even take a dip in real chocolate at the Hotel Hershey.
Please Give Us S'more
While the differences in cocoa content might make some international readers turn up their noses at a Hershey’s bar, try one in a s’more and you’ll be thankful for the U.S. of A. and the Girl Scouts of America, who first published the “Some Mores” recipe in 1927 in their guidebook “Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.” And count your blessings: Back in 2007, lobbyists pushed to change the FDA’s definition of chocolate to allow the removal of cocoa butter, replacing it with cheaper alternatives like vegetable oils.
It appears that this attempt failed, so you can be confident: The next time a group of former-Soviet-bloc criminals manage to steal tons of chocolate in the U.S., cocoa butter will definitely be part of the loot.
