Statistics easily establish chocolate as one of the most craved foods in the world. On average, each Australian consumes 6kg of chocolate per year, with more than 10 percent of this consumption occurring on Valentine's Day. And our consumption is rising by more than 5% annually. Is it just the taste that drives our desire to indulge in the ‘food of gods’? Or maybe the culture has taught us to crave the sweet melt on the tongue? The history of chocolate is just as romantic as its aphrodisiac quality.

Origins of chocolate can be traced back over one thousand years ago to the Mexican cacao tree Theobroma Cacao. The word chocolate may come from either the Mayan cacao or the Nahuatl (Aztec) chocolatl, meaning “warm liquid”. The Mayans, who lived in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and Central America as long ago as 600 A.D., were the first humans to enjoy the wonders of cocoa beans. They are thought to have consumed it in some form with almost every meal, mixing it with other ingredients such as maize, chilli and honey.

Spanish explorers headed by Christopher Columbus brought chocolate to Europe between 1492 and1504 as a drink made of powdered beans, similar to unsweetened cocoa. However, it wasn’t until Hernando Cortez, the great Spanish explorer seized the commercial possibilities of the New World offerings.During his conquest of Mexico, Cortez found the Aztec Indians using cocoa beans in the preparation of the royal drink of the realm. This beverage was kept a secret from other European countries for nearly a century until British captured a Spanish vessel loaded with the cocoa beans in 1587.

The cocoa drink seemed to be too bitter for Spanish aristocracy, so it was decided to sweeten it with sugar for more pleasant taste. In time chili, traditionally used to spice the chocolate by Aztecs, was substituted with cinnamon and vanilla, and the drink became even more popular when it was served hot. Europeans were unfamiliar with the ‘drink of gods’ for almost a hundred years. During the 17th century, the chocolate beverage quickly became the fashionable drink all over Europe. However, not everybody accepted the innovation in taste. Some condemned it as an evil drink, and Frederick III of Prussia prohibited chocolate in his realm.

But even where chocolate was welcomed, its high price limited it to the wealthy. The London chocolate houses became the trendy meeting places for the elite London society. The first chocolate house opened in London in 1657, advertising "this excellent West India drink." The spread of cocoa plantations to the tropics in both hemispheres by the 19th century increased production thus lowering the price of the cocoa beans. Since then, chocolate became a popular and affordable beverage, but even now it is still treated as luxurious delicacy.

As cacao beans became more widely available, people began to experiment with different ways of using them. There is a number of speculations on the first development of the present version of chocolate. Some say it came out in 1828, when a Dutch food chemist perfected the technique of mixing cocoa powder with cocoa butter so it would melt in your mouth. According to others, it was an English confectioner Joseph Storrs Fry who made the first eating chocolate in 1849. The third version of the history gives credit to J.S. Fry and Sons, a British chocolate maker for developing solid eating chocolate. in 1875 a Swiss manufacturer, Daniel Peters, added milk to make our modern milk chocolate.

Chocolate, as we know it today, is a mixture of cocoa paste, cocoa butter, and sugar. The cocoa paste and butter come from the seeds of the fruit. Different chocolate liquor-to-milk ratios produce sweet, semisweet, and bittersweet chocolate. Milk chocolate is made from fresh whole milk or milk solids added to the liquor. White chocolate consists of cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla flavoring. Some believe the later is not really chocolate since it has no cocoa paste.

In the United States of America, the production of chocolate proceeded at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. The first factory was found in 1765 in New England. Since then, chocolate has gained so much importance, that any interruption in its supply would be keenly felt in a matter of seconds.

During World War II, the U.S. government recognized chocolate's role in the nourishment and group spirit of the Allied Armed Forces. Valuable shipping space for the importation of cocoa beans was strategically allocated. The pocket chocolate bars gave soldier the strength to carry on until more food rations could be obtained. Today, the U.S. ARmy D-rations include three 4-ounce chocolate bars. Chocolate has even been taken into space as part of the diet of U.S. astronauts. For reasons to indulge in one of the most healthful wholesome foods:

Chocolate Bar A Day Keeps A Doctor Away

By Elena Petko