Chocolate: the good, the bad and the bitter

It is common knowledge that chocolate made its appearance among the Aztecs as a drink for kings. Cocoa beans, from which the drink was derived, were highly valued and used as currency. When Hernando Cortez, a ruthless conquistador, set his sights on the Aztec nation, King Moctezuma presented him with the bitter drink. Cortés proceeded to plunder his country and seize his land, which included the cacao plant.

Back in Spain, Cortez had no idea what he had found until some enterprising chemists added sugar and honey to the bitter drink and happily introduced a drink that became the precursor to hot chocolate, marking the beginning of the love affair. of the world with chocolate. In the 17th century, the European elite were happily drinking the newly prized beverage (one wonders if waistbands would expand at the same time). And with the promise of aphrodisiac, plus medicinal powers, it’s no wonder it took off.

But alas, until it was mass-produced at the end of that century, the masses could only dream of it, the cost being too high and the Easter bunny only a distant fantasy. In the early 1800s, the Dutch discovered a process to make powdered beans less bitter and paved the way for our current cocoa, still called “Dutch chocolate.” Soon, solid chocolate was created, and Katy closed the door, Europe developing an insatiable sweet tooth. Mid 1800s. An ingenious gentleman named Joseph Fry took chocolate paste and a few other ingredients and pressed them into a mold, which hardened and became the first chocolate bar. A few decades later, the Cadbury company began selling boxes of this glorious delicacy in its native England.

The Swiss, a country united with chocolate, had a hand in the creation of milk chocolate and became the brainchild of the Nestlé company. Sounds familiar?

Not to be left out of the mix, American soldiers carried chocolate during the Revolutionary War, and it was sometimes used as salary, when money was tight (it works for me). Once again the value of the cocoa bean was put into service.

Chocolate manufacturing today in the US alone is a staggering 4 billion dollar industry, with the average American eating over half a pound per month. Which could easily translate to so much body weight gain!

The chocolate is identical to the name Hershey. Founded by Milton Hershey in rural Pennsylvania in 1886, it began as a candy company. Soon Mr. Hershey dabbled in chocolate production and introduced the first Hershey bar eight years later, with the express purpose of making chocolate available to the common man as an affordable gift. Not satisfied with just one factory, he built an entire city for his workers, and Hersheytown, PA came to life. Hershey’s Kisses appeared in 1907 and were originally wrapped by hand, requiring long assembly lines of women wrapping them all day, but the end result was well worth it. In 1926, Hershey’s syrup hit the market and children of all ages could add it to their milk or pour it over ice cream. Not only a businessman but also a philanthropist, Hershey created jobs for people during the Depression and cared for orphans in Hersheytown.

Numerous foreign countries supply the cocoa beans to support the world’s chocolate habit, and the value of chocolate goes far beyond adorable sweets. Many of these third world countries depend on their exports of cocoa beans. For example, the small island of Playón Chico, off the coast of Panama, is receiving help from outside sources to increase its production. A relatively isolated people, they seek medicinal properties in the beans and are beginning to export them for much-needed income.

It seems there is no end to this glorious product called chocolate. In the US, candy runs the gamut, from cheap drugstore brands like Whitman’s and Russell Stover, to luxury imports from Godiva, Lindt, Ghiradelli and Roche and everything in between. The original producers of chocolate and candy, Nestlé and Cadbury, are still alive and well. (this author prefers Chicago-based Fannie May)

So whether you want a rich truffle, a Snickers bar, a handful of Hershey’s kisses or a thick chocolate sauce on your chocolate ice cream, from milk to semisweet, powdered or solid, bake with it, eat it plain or ask for it mixed. with your favorite coffee drink, keep it coming. And aren’t we grateful?