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The history of chocolate: gourmet food of the godsThe Aztecs and Chilli Hot Chocolate"The superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain." Thomas Jefferson Chocolate is made from the seeds of the tropical tree, Theobroma cacao. Theobroma means 'food of the gods' in Greek. In Aztec society chocolate was reserved for priests, warriors and nobility. The Aztecs used cacao beans to make a hot, frothy and bitter drink called xocoatl… believed to be a health elixir. Since sugar was unknown to the Aztecs, different spices were used to add flavor, even hot chili peppers were used! (Remember Juliet Binoche in the film Chocolat?)The ancient Aztecs used cocoa beans beans as a form of currency. The Aztec god Quetzalcoatl was the guardian of the xocoatl tree. The Aztecs discovered that by crushing the beans into a paste and adding spices, they could make a nourishing drink. 16th century Spanish explorers brought the drink back from their travels, added sweeter flavourings, and soon it was a popular and expensive luxury. Coveted Aphrodisiac of the French Court1643, The French Court Embraces Chocolate with unbridled enthusiasm It all started when the Spanish Princess Maria Theresa was betrothed to Louis XIV of France. One of her gifts to her fiancé was ornate chest, packed to the hilt with precious chocolate beans. Chocolate was extremely popular with Louis XIV and the members of his Court at Versailles. The Sun King reigned for over 74 years [1643 to 1715] and is considered to be one of the greatest French monarchs. It was well known that in Louis’ 72nd year he was still making love to his wife twice a day. When asked if he isn't afraid of the health risk, he said: "Death? If she dies, she dies." Maybe it was his belief in the erotic powers of chocolate that kept him going so strongly. The chocolate craze soon took hold of the rest of Paris and then conquered all of France. Chocolate’s reputation as an aphrodisiac flourished. Art and literature was thick with erotic imagery inspired by chocolate. The Marquis de Sade used chocolate to disguise poisons! Casanova used chocolate with champagne to seduce his ladies. Madame de Pompadour used chocolate with ambergris to stimulate her desire for Louis XV. Unfortunately it didn't work...must have been the ambergris. Madame du Barry, reputedly a nymphomaniac, encouraged her lovers to drink chocolate in order to keep their strength up. The rest of Europe succumbs...1657, Chocolate conquers the hearts (and stomach's) of Londoners. London Chocolate Houses became the trendy meeting places where the elite London society savoured their new indulgence. London's first chocolate house was opened by a Frenchman. The shop was called the The Coffee Mill and Tobacco Roll. Costing 10 to 15 shillings per pound, chocolate was definitely a drink for the wealthier classes only.A Dutchman Coenrad Van Houten perfected the extraction of cocoa butter from cocoa beans in 1825. The beans are crushed to a paste, which is subjected to very high pressure, forming chocolate liquor and cocoa butter. In the 1880s, Rudolphe Lindt of Switzerland started adding extra cocoa butter during chocolate manufacture, to make it smoother and glossier. Cocoa butter melts at around 97°F, which is human body temperature. That's why chocolate melts in the mouth. Chocolate started its career as a simple but deliciously decadent hot drink. The recipe has been perfected over the centuries and has reached the summit of perfection in Paris, at Angelina's. Angelina's, on the Rue de Rivoli, is famous for its Hot Chocolate. People come from all over the globe to drink it in this old-fashioned tea room. Now that you know all about
the history of chocolate, would you like to know how to make Angelina's Hot Chocolate?
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