It may be hard to believe, but the sweetness of chocolate can trace its origin back to a bitter drink created by the indigenous people of Mesoamerica. The origins began in the Classic Period (250-900 AD) and was something that was definitely considered part of every major religious or social aspect of their lives. It was common for the Mayan people to pick their beans from the ample rainforests around their cities. The word for cocoa tree was “Cacahuaquchtl,” and the word for chocolate was “”xocoatl”, which literally means “bitter water”. In order to get a good paste to form the base of their drink, they had to first ferment and then roast their beans. Water, chili peppers, cornmeal, and various other spices were added to the paste in order to create the spicy chocolate beverage.
The adoption of cocoa into the Aztec culture, once they began to play a dominant role in Mesoamerica, is an important one because it quickly became a type of currency. Soon chocolate became an integrated part of the Aztecs lives as well. With the Aztecs, the drink was reserved for only royalty, but with the Aztecs, that privilege was extended to priests, honored merchants, and decorated soldiers along with rulers.
It was widely believed that power and wisdom came from eating fruit and beans. They also originally believed that cocoa beans would serve as an aphrodisiac. The Europeans, on the other hand, were not immediately impressed with Christopher Columbus’ offering of cocoa beans when he brought them back from his trip to the Americas. After several returning trips to the Americas, the Europeans began to realize that the beans could indeed be used as a type of currency.
The new name for what the Mayans had called “xocoatl” was the Aztec “chocolatl,” which means “warm liquid”. By 1519, however, Hernando Cortex Begin had a cocoa tree plantation, the very first. Hernando claimed his plantation in the name of Spain, and it was Charles V, the Spanish king, who had the first taste of spicy chocolate in 1528. The new delicacy gained even more revered status when Hernando began experimenting by blending the beans with sugar. Soon, other variations, such as nutmeg, vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon all became common.
It was only the Spanish nobility that were allowed to drink the beverage, however, and they did not share that knowledge with other countries. It was the Spanish monks, who were cultivating the beans that informed the rest of the world. Chocolate then became popular all over Europe, mostly as a delicacy, though in some spots the beans continued to have use as a currency.
Today, decades and centuries of growth later, chocolate continues to enjoy immense popularity. Although the original sacred brew does not hold the same status as it once did as a religious drink or for royalty only, it has over time, improved in taste. It is still debatable whether chocolate is an aphrodisiac – however recent research does prove that the dark cocoa does have beneficial qualities which are healthy for the body.
