The origins of chocolate can be
traced back to the ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations which in Central
America. Also known as 'Theobroma cacao', that meant 'food of the gods', was
prized for centuries by the Central American Mayan Indians, who first enjoyed a
much-prized spicy drink called 'chocolatl', made from roasted cocoa beans.
The Aztecs introduced cocoa to
the Spaniards. The Spaniards then took cocoa back to Europe in the 16th
century. However, because it was so expensive, only the rich could afford
buying it. Chocolate was exclusively for drinking until the early Victorian
times when a technique for making eatable solid chocolate was invented.
Throughout the history, whether
as a cocoa drinking chocolate or scrumptious confectionery treat, chocolate has
always been much sought after. Modern chocolate manufacturing allowed more
people to buy chocolate and some individuals redesign the shape of eatable
chocolate to make it more presentable and attractive.
The flavor of chocolate differs
depending on the ingredients used and how it is prepared. Real chocolate is
made from cocoa and its ingredients include cocoa butter (an expensive part of
the cocoa bean) and, in some cases, up to 5% vegetable fat. Compound chocolate
will have less cocoa and/or more than 5% vegetable fat than real chocolate and
therefore doesn't have the same fine qualities.
Cocoa
powder and chocolate are made from the dried seeds that are found in pods on
the cacao tree. Chocolate production is a complex process that begins with the
harvesting of cocoa trees.
