There are few foodstuffs with such a rich and intriguing history as cocoa and chocolate. Many people have a love affair with chocolate yet few of us know the unique origins of this popular treat. We tend to think of chocolate as a sweet candy created during modern times. But actually, chocolate dates back to the ancient peoples of Mesoamerica who drank chocolate as a bitter beverage.
The story of chocolate spans more than 3,000 years and began in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America where cacao trees, the seeds of which are made into chocolate, first grew. These tropical evergreen trees are native to Central and South America.
The botanical name of the tree that gives us chocolate is Theobroma Cacao, which literally means 'food of the gods.' The tree's modern generic Latin name (Theobrama Cacao) actually derives from the Mayan word 'cacao' meaning 'god food.'
Cacao trees produce large leathery fruits containing large seeds enveloped by a sweet-sour, cream-colored pulp. Fruits sometimes called pods can get to be the size of footballs and may contain as many as 50 seeds. Chocolate is made from the large seeds. It takes around 400 seeds to make 1 pound of chocolate.
The earliest known evidence for cacao use dates from around 1100 BC. Researchers identified residue of a chemical compound that comes exclusively from the cacao plant - the source of chocolate - in pottery vessels at an archaeological site in Puerto Escondido, Honduras.
The earliest cacao beverages consumed at Puerto Escondido were likely produced by fermenting the sweet pulp surrounding the seeds - and it was this beer-like drink that started the chocolate craze
The chocolate enjoyed by later Mesoamerican civilizations like the Maya and Aztecs was made from ground cacao seeds with added seasonings, producing a spicy, frothy drink.
Source : articlesbase
No comments:
Post a Comment