Through research we now know that the first chocolate formats came in an ancient drink used by the Mesoamerican indigenous cultures. The Classic Period, which consists of the era between 250-900 AD, is when people began using it in their religious and social lives. The large Mayan cities allowed easy access to the rainforests around them, where the beans were harvested. They called the cocoa tree “Cacahuaquchtl” and the chocolate “xocoatl”, translated it means “bitter water”. In order to prepare their drinks, they first fermented and then roasted the beans to form a paste. Along with the paste, water, chili peppers, cornmeal and other substances were added to get the all important spicy beverage.
For currency, Aztecs adopted the bean once they began to rule over large portions of Mesoamerica. Eventually, chocolate became an integral part of the Aztec way of life. Along with the rulers that the Mayans allowed to drink the beverage, the Aztecs also allowed it to be consumed by priests, honored merchants, and decorated soldiers.
One of the beliefs of the Aztecs was that power and wisdom came from eating fruit or beans. They were the first to believe that cocoa beans had aphrodisiac qualities. When Christopher Columbus came back to Europe from his trip to the Americas, he came with cocoa beans, but it was a discovery that was met with little fanfare at first. After several returning trips to the Americas, the Europeans began to realize that the beans could indeed be used as a type of currency.
The new name for what the Mayans had called “xocoatl” was the Aztec “chocolatl,” which means “warm liquid”. By 1519, however, Hernando Cortex Begin had a cocoa tree plantation, the very first. In 1528 the Spanish king Charles V had his first taste of the spicy chocolate, which is fitting since that first plantation was claimed in the name of Spain. The new delicacy gained even more revered status when Hernando began experimenting by blending the beans with sugar. Soon nutmeg, vanilla, cloves and cinnamon, become part of the variations.
Neither other countries nor the working class were permitted access to the drink originally, as it was reserved for the nobility. The Spanish monks – who were cultivating the beans – eventually spared the secret with the rest of the world. It was shortly thereafter that chocolate began spreading throughout Europe, with the beans still being used as currency in some parts.
Today, decades and centuries of growth later, chocolate continues to enjoy immense popularity. Over time, it has dropped the religious and royalty purposes, and has experienced growth in the taste department. Continual research suggests that perhaps chocolate is an aphrodisiac, but it definitely concludes that dark cocoa is part of a healthy diet that can do wonders for the body.