THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
"Chocolatl" - the Aztec name for the beverage which the people of Ancient Mexico prized so much, and which they referred to as the "Food of the Gods", has provided the root word for chocolate in all languages, and the cocoa bean from which it is prepared is the foundation of the product - chocolate - a mixture of roasted cocoa beans, sugar and cocoa butter.
- Rolo
Columbus found cocoa in use in the West Indies when he landed there in 1492 and took samples of cocoa and chocolate back to Spain as curiosities. But Fernando Cortez, the Spanish conqueror of Mexico, first brought the real knowledge of both cocoa and chocolate to Europe in the early 16th century. After the Spanish court had kept the secret of its preparation for nearly 100 years, chocolate became known in France and later, in England. We read of flourishing chocolate houses in London during the 17th century where it was consumed by the public. It is unfortunate that in their zeal to spread the Roman Catholic religion, the Spaniards industriously burned all the Aztec records they could find on the grounds that they were idolatrous.
But the Chocolatl of the Aztecs had only a superficial resemblance to the chocolate of the present time. It was made by roasting cocoa beans and maize together, then pulverising the mixture and beating it up to a creamy soup, which was flavoured with all sorts of spices, and sometimes honey. Before leaving the history of cocoa in Central America, it must be noted that cocoa beans served as currency in that part of the world for an unknown length of time, down to as late as the 18th century.
The Development of Chocolate in Europe
As might be expected, the first development was in Spain, where the first chocolate factory was established in 1580.
The early preparation was of the primitive Mexican or Chocolatl variety but relatively soon it was discovered that the addition of sugar made the drink more palatable and that certain flavours, among them vanilla, enhanced its aroma.
In those days, the Spaniards had the sole monopoly of cocoa and chocolate and were so proud of their new products that they expressly forbade their export to other countries. Indeed, during the 16th century, so little was known of them in the rest of Europe that during the Spanish wars of this period, many ships loaded with cocoa were captured by the English and Dutch, and sunk as they were considered to be of no value. But despite the Spaniards secrecy, the knowledge of cocoa and chocolate spread to the neighbouring European countries, and by the early years of the 17th century, there are records of its use in Italy, Bohemia and Flanders. By the middle of the century, both cocoa and chocolate had reached England and France.
- Chocolate
England: The 17th and 18th Centuries
The first notice of chocolate in England appears in an advertisement in the Public Advertiser or Adviser during June 1657, 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, where you may have it ready at any time, and also unmade, at reasonable rates."
The spread of the use of cocoa and chocolate in England has been progressive since that date, and during the 18th century the Chocolate Houses of London were numerous and world famous. The chocolate of the Chocolate Houses was very expensive and, as would be expected, was the drink of the rich. The high price of cocoa largely resulted from the Spanish monopoly, since it was then almost wholly grown in the Spanish colonies of Central America. Supplies reaching England, Holland and other Western countries were chiefly obtained by British and Dutch privateers who intercepted and captured cocoa laden ships on their way to Spain. It is on record that during many years, more cocoa found its way to London and Amsterdam than to the Spanish ports.
Spain was on the decline, and gradually cocoa came on the market as a normal article of trade, a process helped by the British, French and Dutch acquisition of West Indian possessions in which they were not slow to develop cocoa plantations for their own use. Up to the end of the 18th century, the stress had been on producing chocolate as a drink, but the knowledge of the behaviour of the cocoa and sugar mixture had been growing. With increased use, it had become necessary for the Chocolate Houses to carry stocks of chocolate paste, and it had been found that the careful roasting and blending of the beans together with the intimate mixing of the roasted cocoa and sugar greatly improved the flavour of the chocolate. These pastes, moulded for convenience in keeping and using, were the true forerunners of our present eating chocolate, but were prevented from becoming popular sweet-meats because of the high price and scarcity of cocoa and the very costly and time consuming hand labour required in their production.
- Chocolate swirl
The 19th and 20th Centuries
The steam age and the Industrial Revolution had started and it was not long before consideration was being given to the mechanisation of the chocolate industry.
The increased demand for chocolate could not be met by the small backroom manufactories of the Chocolate Houses, and these gradually developed into the factories of today. This was a period of growth and change in the industry - this was the time that gave us moulded chocolate, silk chocolate and chocolate covered sweets.
Drinking chocolate continued to be drunk in considerable quantity in the early part of the 19th century, but the alkalised partially de-fatted cocoa powder introduced by the Dutchman Van Houten about the middle of the century has since almost displaced it. The introduction of this powder is not only important because of the change from the use of fully fatted cocoa for drinking purposes but because it has made available the huge quantities of extra cocoa butter without which the modern chocolates would never have been possible. This new source of cocoa butter made it possible to produce chocolate in a variety of thicknesses suitable for the most varied uses. When only the natural butter content of the cocoa in the chocolate was available, the fluidity was restricted to that for moulding except in the case of very bitter chocolates. These extra supplies permitted more fluid chocolates to be produced so that the development of enrobing, centring, spinning and shelling systems became practicable, to improve and extend the range of assortments, covered and ingredient lines. They also made possible the development of milk chocolate, which only contains a relatively small proportion of cocoa, and of plain chocolates of varying degrees of sweetness.
The 19th century also saw very important changes in the quality of chocolate. At the beginning of the century it was very crude, and because of the high price of cocoa, was very frequently adulterated with harmful substances. But by the end of the century, the introduction of improved machinery and the enforcement of Food Laws had improved the quality almost out of recognition.
The trend of the progress of the 19th century continued with ever increasing speed into the 20th century and, until the 1939-45 war, improved quality, novelty and price reduction was still the order of the day. The development of British West Africa had ensured ample supplies of cheap cocoa, and electrical progress and improved processing machinery had provided better and cheaper methods of manufacture.
During the 2nd World War, chocolate was recognised by all nations as concentrated food of great value, and the emergency rations of all belligerents contained chocolate in one form or another. Many of these rations were developed for special purposes: some contained vitamins, others for use in lifeboats had thirst quenching properties, still others had to stand up to tropical temperatures and so on.
The rationing and restrictions of the war and post-war periods caused progress in the chocolate industry to slow down, but now we look to the future knowing that it is in the hands of craftsmen who understand the art of chocolate making and have the help of scientists and engineers who, through their training, bring a new and wider outlook to its problems.
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