Saturday, February 18, 2012

chocolate was first discovered in Mexico in 1519 when Hernán Cortés Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador, .




MLA Citation

"History of Chocolate: Overview." Daily Life through History. ABC-CLIO, 2012. Web. 16 Feb. 2012.





1 comment:

  1. 1. Mexico
    Well known for being the origin of chocolate, Mexico is probably the first place on earth where chocolate was introduced. Chocolate has played an important role in Mexican communities for almost five hundred years and it looks as if this strong relationship will never end. Chocolate was first discovered in Mexico in 1519 when Hernán Cortés Pizarro, a Spanish conquistador, was granted an audience with Moctezuma, Emperor of Mexico, at his breakfast table. Impressed by the amazing drink, “chocolatl”, which was made from cocoa beans, Hernán Cortés Pizarro brought cocoa trees and the chocolatl’s recipe back to Spain and began to introduce this drink all across the European continent.

    Today, chocolate remains a highly valued commodity like in pre-Hispanic Mexico. This sweet substance is an important staple for Mexican people which bring millions of dollars to the country every year. In Mexico, chocolate is popularly used to make a wide array of Mexican confections such as a hot chocolate drink. For Mexican people, hot chocolate is considered as the national drink which almost everyone in the country drinks every day. Additionally, pepper and spices are also served with hot chocolate.

    2. Spain
    Although Christopher Columbus was the first one from The New World who discovered cacao beans in 1502, but the first man who brought chocolate to Spain and The New World was Hernán Cortés Pizarro who discovered the precious tree in the early 16th century. The Spaniards originally kept the discovery of the cocoa tree as a secret from the rest of Europe for almost a century, and in the meantime, they had added something that the Mayans and Aztecs could not, cane sugar, in order to increase its deliciousness. In 1631, the first recipe for a chocolate drink was published in Spain by an Andalusian physician, Colmenero de Ledesma, and soon other chocolate recipes were created, this made chocolate become a fashionable drink enjoyed by the rich in Spain.

    Nowadays, Chocolate is widely consumed by Spanish people throughout the country. And like Mexican people, Spaniards also prefer hot chocolate drink, but Spaniard’s version of hot chocolate is a good thick and creamy hot chocolate flavored drink with cinnamon and served with churros, unlike Mexican’s version of hot chocolate which is added with pepper and spices. There are many Spanish chocolate manufacturers which produce multi types of chocolate products to serve both Spanish people and consumers in other countries such as Chocolates Valor, Chocovic and much more.

    3. England
    During June 1657, the first recognition of chocolate in England appeared in an advertisement in the Public Advertiser or Adviser, informing the London public that “in Bishopsgate Street, in Queen’s Head Alley, at a Frenchman’s house, is an excellent West India drink called chocolate to be sold, you may have it ready at any time, and also unmade, at reasonable rates.” Since then, the use of cocoa and chocolate became widely recognized in England and numerous chocolate manufacturers were continuously established. However, the price of chocolate at that time was very expensive as it was especially reserved for the rich, and at that time the English chocolate market were still monopolized by Spanish chocolate manufacturers.

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