European rulers set up cocoa plantations around the world, fuelled by their passions for chocolate’s delicious taste, and by the time the 20 th century came around, chocolate was widespread around the world, and was considered to be so essential that it was even included in war rations of US soldiers! Over the last 200 years, chocolate was turned into bars as we know them today, with many of the biggest names in the industry such as Cadbury’s and Fry’s being founded in the 19 th century by Quaker families who were trying to persuade people to turn to chocolate rather than alcohol consumption. There were 2000 in London alone by the year 1700.
During the 17 th century, its popularity spread to London where chocolate houses were established and were visited by upper class drinkers. Spanish explorers brought cocoa beans to Spain during the 16 th century and for around 200 years it was solely the preserve of the aristocracy and royalty, being drunk with breakfast while still in bed. These drinks still exist today in Southern Mexico and are called Chilate. Emperor Montezuma was a huge fan of the drink and would have as many as 50 cups every day. It was thought to be an aphrodisiac and to endow the person who drank it with extra strength. The Aztec people held the belief that cacao seeds had been given from their god of wisdom, Quetzalcoatl, as a gift, and this meant that the seeds were so valued they were used as money. Hot chocolate fans would be very disappointed in the flavour since it was nothing at all like modern hot chocolate drinks. They would grind and roast the beans then mix in chilli, vanilla and spices, making a bitter, cold drink that had a similar consistency to gruel. The ancient Olmecs in Mexico were the first known civilization to use cocoa beans which were first recorded as being seen growing wild in Central America back in 1500 BC, however the Mayans were the first civilization to truly love chocolate. On average, people in the UK eat 11kg of chocolate each every year, but not many of those people know the long history of this delicious dessert.
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