The Origin Of Chocolate And Its History

THE ORIGIN OF CHOCOLATE AND ITS HISTORY

Its introduction was made in the form of cocoa seeds. At the time it was hot and sweetened with cane sugar. It is important to add that in monasteries the consumption of chocolate was very important, although not all religious were in favor of its consumption because this drink was consumed during fasting periods. Despite this, the Church accepted the consumption of this drink during the aforementioned periods. In fact, it was in a monastery where chocolate was prepared for the first time in Europe. The monk Cister Fray Jerónimo Aguilar accompanied Hernán Cortés in his expedition to Mexico, having the opportunity to meet cocoa on this trip. This monk sent the first cocoa accompanied by the recipe for preparation to the abbot Antonio de Álvaro, of the stone monastery. Thus, the first place where this preparation was made and the monks of this monastery being the first to try it.

At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Italian merchant Francesco Carletti introduced chocolate in Italy influenced by his trips to the Western Indies and Spain. From this moment on, chocolate begins to trade in other countries from Italy. These countries include Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. In France, for example, this habit of drinking chocolate is adopted thanks to Ana de Austria, daughter of Felipe III, who has been having the custom of having breakfast and snacking chocolate to the French court.

During the 18th century an itinerant trade appears, that of the Molendero.

His work consisted of traveling the country with a curved stone and loaded with cocoa. He offered chocolate in the houses of the wealthiest families. The technique he used for the preparation of the product was that of the metate: grind the cocoa seeds on the curved stone. In this way he managed. In this same century, chocolate houses arise in London, where high society met, while in Italy the first chocolate stores "Cioccolatieri" are created.

From the nineteenth century the industrial revolution favored the increase in chocolate consumption and influenced that its cost was more accessible to less privileged classes. At this time the creation of the hydraulic press stands out, a great advance for the industrial manufacture of chocolate. In addition, the first chocolate tablets in England begin to produce, changing the way to consume the chocolate to this day. Throughout the twentieth century, manufacturing techniques have been improved and the variety of recipes and products has been increased.

The history of chocolate has not only led to a change in its consumption and importance, but also to a change in chocolate preparation recipes. The first recipes had a very little result of today’s chocolates. According to Godos (1897, 12), who prepared several of the recipes recommended by different authors who studied chocolate during the 16th and 17th century, describes the result as “we can say that our palate has resisted trying more than necessaryto convince us of the repulsive of such composition ".