The first chocolate drink is believed to have been created by the Maya around 2,500–3,000 years ago, and a cocoa drink was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 AD, by which they referred to as xocōlātl.
The Olmec, one of the earliest civilizations in Latin America, were the first to turn the cacao plant into chocolate. They drank an ancient chocolate drink during rituals and used it as medicine.
Originally consumed as a bitter drink, it was prized as both an aphrodisiac and an energy booster. Originally consumed as a bitter drink, it was prized as both an aphrodisiac and an energy booster. Mankind's love affair with chocolate stretches back more than five millennia.
Evidence suggests that it may have been fermented and served as an alcoholic beverage as early as 1400 BC.
Modern mass-market chocolate is more sugar than cacao, while chocolate's original form was the opposite. Modern chocolate has evolved from the Mesoamericans' deified beverage, which had ingredients added for appearance and ceremony more so than taste. Even its name was the opposite of sweet.
Switzerland is renowned for its exceptional chocolate. From all of those prism-shaped Toblerone bars in airport duty free shops across the world to the more local Cailler and Frey varieties, it comes as little surprise that Swiss people consume the most chocolate per capita of any country worldwide.
The first chocolate drink is believed to have been created by the Maya around 2,500–3,000 years ago, and a cocoa drink was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 AD, by which they referred to as xocōlātl.
The history of chocolate, and its creation from the beans of the cacao tree, can be traced to the ancient Maya, and even earlier to the ancient Olmecs of southern Mexico.
World's oldest chocolate was made 5300 years ago—in a South American rainforest | Science | AAAS.
Etymologists trace the origin of the word "chocolate" to the Aztec word "xocoatl," which referred to a bitter drink brewed from cacao beans. The Latin name for the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods."
However, it was not until 1585 that the first recorded shipment of cocoa beans arrived in Spain from Veracruz, Mexico. Sweetened and flavoured with cinnamon and vanilla, chocolate was served as a hot beverage and became quite popular in the Spanish court.
Too much chocolate, 85 bars to be exact, results in theobromine poisoning which will give you symptoms similar to that of a caffeine overdose – trembling, excessive sweating and severe headaches. In some cases, consuming 70g of theobromine can lead to death by cardiac failure, dehydration, and seizures.
Definition of Chocolate Liqueur
On the other hand, chocolate liqueur is an alcohol flavored like chocolate. Some such examples are Creme de Cacao or Godiva Dark Chocolate Liqueur, both of which make use of cacao nibs to give them their characteristic flavors.
The trademark for "Death by Chocolate" in the United States is owned by Bennigan's IP LLC restaurants. The initial trademark application was filed by Bennigans on 2 July 2008, and the trademark is due to expire on 9 April 2026.
Who first thought to add chocolate and milk together? According to the Natural History Museum in Britain, that credit goes to Sir Hans Sloane, an Irish botanist. Sloane spent some time in Jamaica in the early 1700s, where the local people gave him cocoa to drink.
Ancient Egyptians also thought highly of chocolate, believing it had strong medicinal properties. They allegedly drank cocoa mixed with honey for energy before acting upon their desires—and they didn't even have espresso machines!
Bread is one the very first foods made by mankind. It is believed that bread was first made some 30000 years ago.
In Oxfordshire, England, researchers found small pieces of blackened bread that date back 5,500 years. The bread, which survived the years because it was burnt, contained pieces of barley.
Chinese bone soup
An archaeologist with an animal bone soup that dates back some 2,400 years.
Why is white chocolate white? Cocoa butter is extracted from the cocoa bean when making cocoa powder. Even though white chocolate comes from the same cacao bean as dark chocolate, it's white because it doesn't contain cocoa liquor and has a caramel-like colour.
The word "chocolate" is traced back to the Aztec word "xocoatl," and the name for the cacao plant, Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods." But before chocolate became the sweet worldwide phenomenon we know today, Mesoamerican cultures made bitter drinks with the cacao bean.
Good & Plenty is believed to be the oldest candy brand in the USA. The pink-and-white capsule-shaped chewy licorice was first produced in 1893 in Philadelphia.
Both children and adults are enslaved on cocoa farms in the Ivory Coast and Ghana. A study found that in Ghana, 23% of surveyed cocoa laborers reported having performed work without compensation.
Cocoa beans were shipped to Europe from New Spain (Mexico), Ecuador and Venezuela. By the late 17th century, the labour force had shifted to mainly enslaved Africans.
Chocolates - World's Rarest Chocolate - Concordia Red Elephant Chocolate.