Chocolate

Please note that the text reproduced here is an extract from Passion Chocolat. For more details, please refer to this book.

Foreword

“Other things are just food. But chocolate’s chocolate,” said Patrick Skene Catling. This simple statement goes a long way towards expressing how passionate people can be when it comes to this truly special food.

The ancient Mayans referred to chocolate as the food of the gods. Over time, it has changed from being a luxury that only the aristocracy could afford to the universal food that it is today. Since the 17th century, French chocolatiers have led the way in raising chocolate-making to the fine art it is today. And French consumers rank among the world’s most discriminating when it comes to chocolate.

Chocolate makes the perfect gift, whether you want to make a loved one happy or simply feel like treating yourself. Reminiscent of childhood memories, luxury, sweetness and sensuality, chocolate is more than just food – it is therapy.

A Brief History of Chocolate

According to Aztec legend, the cacao tree was brought to earth from Paradise by the god Quetzalcoatl. Th e Mayans and Aztecs had been familiar with cocoa for several centuries before making the first chocolate drink. Before discovering the true potential of the cacao tree, they used cocoa beans both as a means of payment and as units of calculation.

Around 600 A.D. the Mayans migrated into the northern regions of South America where they established the earliest known cacao tree plantations. They learned how to roast and grind the cacao beans, making a paste that they dissolved in water and to which they added spices. Early chocolate was only consumed in beverage form.

It was not until Spanish explorer Hernando Cortés visited the court of Emperor Montezuma of Mexico in 1519, where a delightful chocolate drink spiced with chilli pepper was commonly consumed, that Europeans realized the value of cocoa. Cortés brought chocolate back to the Spanish court in 1528.

The chocolate drink soon went through an important evolution: the chilli pepper was replaced by sugar. The resulting sweetened chocolate beverage was delicious, but still a luxury only a few could afford. Eventually Spain’s exclusivity over the production of chocolate was challenged by other countries such as France, England and Holland, which also started cultivating cacao trees in their own colonies. The Industrial Revolution enabled the production of chocolate on a large scale, lowering its price and making it more widely available. Soon, chocolate was cheap enough to be enjoyed not only by the aristocracy but also by the masses in Europe and America.

The Industrialisation of Chocolate

The chocolate industry started developing all over the world during the nineteenth century. In 1780 the first chocolate made by machine was produced in Barcelona, Spain. By 1795, Dr. Joseph Fry of Bristol, England, was using a steam engine for grinding cocoa beans. His invention led to the manufacture of chocolate on a large scale. Seven years later, a new technique was invented which enabled to solidify chocolate and produce chocolate blocks.

The hydraulic cocoa press was invented in 1828 by the Dutch chocolate maker C.J. Van Houten. He was awarded a patent for the process, which enabled him to separate the various components of cocoa. Being able to extract cocoa butter, which melts at mouth temperature, allowed the creation and production of fine chocolate blocks, while the hard cocoa block, once ground, formed the basis for drinking chocolate powder. The invention of the hydraulic press led to a reduction in the price of chocolate, making it even more available to the masses.

As chocolate consumption soared and the business boomed, chocolate makers continued to invent new forms of chocolate. After several years of experiments, Swiss man Daniel Peter created the first milk chocolate in 1875 by adding Henri Nestlé’s powdered milk to chocolate. In 1979, Rodolphe Lindt of Berne, Switzerland, invented the process of conching which enabled to further refine the texture of chocolate, causing it to melt on the tongue.

Consumption of chocolate is still very much on the rise. Most chocolate makers and producers have had no choice but to industrialise their production process in order to face the demand and remain competitive.

" Man cannot live on chocolate alone,
but woman sure can. "

" Forget love...
I'd rather fall in chocolate! "

" Coffee... Chocolate... Men...
Some things are just better when they're rich!"

" If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated.!"

" There's more to life than chocolate,
but not right now."