insideKENT Magazine Issue 83 - February 2019 | Page 71

FOOD+DRINK
VIVE LA
Chocolate Revolution!
THERE IS SOMETHING SO VERY SPECIAL ABOUT
CHOCOLATE. IT’S A TREAT. IT’S A REWARD. IT’S COMFORT,
FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE. IT CHEERS UP THE MOST
MISERABLE DAY AND MAKES A GOOD ONE EVEN BETTER.
IF YOU ASK US, IT’S THE BEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD.
And when it comes to Valentine’s Day (or any
day for that matter), chocolate is one of those gifts
that’s always appreciated. If you buy someone
some chocolate, it’s a sweet declaration of how
you feel, and no matter what type it is or where
it came from, it's always going to be well received.
But just where did this most perfect of confections
come from?
THE HISTORY OF CHOCOLATE
350BC. That’s how far we need to go back to find
the origins of our favourite sweet treat. It all began
with the Aztecs, who believed that cacao seeds were
given to them as a gift (so the gift giving idea started
very, very early) from their god of wisdom,
Quetzalcoatl. These seeds were so valuable that they
were even used as currency. Anything ‘spare’ was
turned into a rather bitter drink that was taken at
important ceremonies and events. bean – it was 15th August 1502. His crew ‘borrowed’
a canoe that was full of items for trading, and in
amongst it all were some rather odd looking beans.
He actually called them almonds to begin with until
it became very clear that they were nothing of the
kind. The Spanish court was not, however,
particularly impressed with these bitter beans, and
rather than enjoying them as a treat, they were used
to treat stomach complaints!
As time went on, there seemed to be a lot more spar,
and it was drunk far more regularly. Plus leftovers
were pulped and turned into what might also be
what we call chocolate today – but not quite. It was
still extremely bitter. Until the Mayans got hold of
it, that is; they added a lot of additional flavourings
such as vanilla pods, chillies and flowers, and the
beginnings of the chocolate industry were born. Eventually the idea of sweetening the bitter medicine
was introduced, mainly so that those who had to
take it could swallow it more easily. With the addition
of sweeteners such as honey and sugar, chocolate
was soon no longer a medicine, but a treat that
everyone loved. Once that happened, the craze
began to spread across the world.
We have Christopher Columbus to thank for bringing
the first kinds of chocolate back to Spain. We know
exactly when Columbus came across his first cacao
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