Chocolate is a confectionery that is incredibly popular in many countries around the world. The basis of this product, as you know, is the cocoa chocolate tree seed oil.
The history of the creation of chocolate
The birthplace of chocolate, like the cocoa tree itself, is South and Central America. For centuries, the Mayans and their followers, the Aztecs, have been mixing ground and roasted cocoa beans with water. This mixture was then fried and hot pepper was added thereto. The result could be a spicy and bitter frothy drink that was very fatty. It was eaten after being chilled.
The most common version is that the very word "chocolate" takes its roots from the Aztec word "chocolatl". It literally translates to "bitter water." However, this original word never appears in the texts of the colonial period. And its very existence is a hypothesis of linguists.
Distribution of the drink in Europe
In Europe, this drink received its distribution only in the middle of the sixteenth century. It is believed that the conquistador Hernan Cortes became its discoverer. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, chocolate in Europe turned from a bitter and cold drink into a sweet and hot one. And, despite the fact that this drink was very popular, the high cost of the raw materials themselves limited its use to a wide range of people who, due to insolvency, could not afford it.
The modern period in the history of chocolate
The Dutchman Konrad van Guten opened the modern period in the history of the development of chocolate. In the middle of the nineteenth century, he patented an inexpensive way of squeezing cocoa butter from a grated species invented by him. This discovery made possible the creation of solid chocolate, which gradually replaced liquid chocolate from the diet of Europeans. Researchers now agree that the first chocolate bar was made in an English confectionery factory in 1847.
Daniel Peter, after many conducted and unsuccessful experiments at the end of the nineteenth century, was still able to obtain the world's first milk chocolate, adding simple milk powder to its components. The production of such a product was soon established by his partner Henri Nestlé. And four years later, another Swiss named Rodolphe Lindt pioneered the conching of chocolate masses. This allowed the Swiss producers to become the first in the production of chocolate.
Creation of chocolate products
In the late seventeenth century, Hans Sloane invented chocolate milk. It was created at that time by mixing chocolate syrup with goat, cow and other types of milk. With this method, chocolate spread is currently being created.
