• July 7, 1550 is the day when the delicious cocoa-based drink was introduced to Europe. July 7th is the day on which the whole globe pays tribute to chocolate. The first chocolate shop; The first chocolate bar; The most expensive chocolate; The biggest chocolate
July 7th was chosen to celebrate chocolate around the world because history records that it is when, in 1550, the delicious cocoa-based drink was introduced to Europe. However, archaeologists have discovered evidence of the presence of cocoa beans in the human diet in South America dating back several thousand years.
The first chocolate bar was manufactured in 1847, when the Englishman Joseph Fry discovered that if he mixed cocoa butter with powder, he could obtain an easily moldable paste. In 1868, Cadbury, a small factory in England, produced the first chocolate box. However, the first milk chocolate was invented by the Swiss Daniel Peter, in collaboration with Henri Nestle, in 1857.
The drink of the gods, offered by Montezuma
According to a legend, when the Spanish explorer Hernando Cortes arrived in Mexico in search of gold and silver, the Aztec ruler Montezuma thought he was a reincarnated divinity and welcomed him with a sumptuous banquet where he served a cocoa drink.
Cocoa beans would have been cultivated in the beginning by ancient civilizations in South America, the Aztecs and Mayans being the best known among these indigenous populations. The modern word "chocolate" comes from two words in Nahuatl, a language spoken by many Aztec groups, "Xocolatl," which literally means "hot water," and "cacahuatl," which referred to a bitter cocoa drink served at religious ceremonies.
The Spanish added sugar, but kept it a secret for 100 years
When the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the New World and began their invasions, colonization, and ultimately the destruction of native cultures, they also discovered the value of growing cocoa beans. They contributed their inventiveness to the chocolate drink recipe by adding sugar and spices to sweeten it.
From here, chocolate became popular among the Spanish, who kept the production method a secret for about 100 years after their discovery.
Chocolate was only consumed at the royal courts
In the end, chocolate - at that time only consumed as a drink - arrived in France, then in England, at the royal courts and in houses dedicated to the consumption of chocolate, frequented by the elite. Hot chocolate was prized by the upper social class for its taste and health benefits, and over time gained a reputation as an aphrodisiac.
The first chocolate shop opened in 1657
In France, chocolate was raised to the status of a symbol, reserved by royal decree only for members of the aristocracy. The English were more pragmatic about chocolate and anyone with money could buy it. In 1657, the first chocolate shop opened in London. Like coffee shops, these places were frequented by high society.
Chocolate remained a privilege of the wealthy until the Industrial Revolution, when new technologies were created that made chocolate accessible to the general public. Discover HERE the first chocolatiers in Romania
The first chocolate bar was manufactured in 1847
In 1828, Conrad J. van Houten patented a discovery crucial to the history of chocolate. He invented the method by which the cocoa butter could be separated from the powder. In this way, both drinks and chocolate cakes were much easier to prepare. The first chocolate bar was made by Joseph Fry in 1847, when he discovered that if he mixed cocoa butter with powder, he could get an easily moldable paste.
In 1868, Cadbury, a small factory in England, produced the first chocolate box. However, the first milk chocolate was invented by the Swiss Daniel Peter, in collaboration with Henri Nestle, in 1857. The fineness of today's chocolate is due to the Swiss Rudolph Lindt who, in 1879, invented a special machine that homogenized the chocolate to the point where it became fine and it melted in the mouth.
To'ak chocolate is the most expensive in the world
To'ak chocolate is the most expensive in the world. A bar of 50 grams is delivered packed in an elm wood box, which also contains a wooden tong, specially created for tasting the chocolate, and a 116-page booklet in which you can find all the details related to the origin of cocoa beans. It costs 260 dollars and is considered a luxury.
The biggest chocolate in the world
The largest chocolate in the world is 14 meters long and 10 meters wide and was created by the company "Cokoladnica cukrcek" from Ljubljana, the record being recognized in the new international edition of the Guinness Book of Records. The giant chocolate was ready of 28.000 small tablets, was "assembled", measured and mostly eaten at the Chocolate and Sweets Festival in Radovljica, Slovenia in December 2016.
Read more on the Arta Albă website: A major new chocolate invention, Ruby Chocolate
