One of the available and safe antidepressants for many of us has always been and remains chocolate. Often, in moments of despair and longing, the hand itself reaches for the saving bar of milk chocolate with nuts, and, characteristically, this wonderful delicacy really helps to cope with a bad mood. So who do we, modern people living in constant stress, need to thank for chocolate?
sacred drink
Mexico is considered the birthplace of chocolate. It was there that about 3000 years ago the Olmecs began to brew a delicious and nutritious drink from cocoa beans. Later, this tribe disappeared, and the recipe for hot chocolate was inherited by the Maya Indians. They called this drink "xocoal" and considered sacred. Cocoa was also highly valued by the Aztecs. They did not have their own plantations of this wonderful plant, and without thinking twice, they taxed the weaker Mayan tribe, who paid them in beans.
An ancient legend, invented either by the Aztecs or the Mayans, said that once on the shores of the Amazon, the seeds of a wonderful tree fell directly from paradise, and therefore a drink brewed from them has such wonderful properties. Indeed, it was not only a delicacy, but also a medicine that was used to treat snake bites, burns and colds. Much later, sugar and cream will be added to cocoa, and at first pepper was poured into it - this made the drink less bitter. 
Hot chocolate was drunk at religious holidays, and ancient temples were decorated with cocoa beans. In order for the amazing plant to bear fruit, every year some tribes brought human sacrifices to their gods. Before being sent to the altar of the unfortunate, he was fed plenty of cocoa.
By the way, according to the classification of the famous Carl Linnaeus, who undertook to put things in order in plants, chocolate is called "theobroma", which in Greek means "food of the gods". 
Chocolate in Europe
Of course, Columbus brought outlandish cocoa beans to the Old World. He solemnly presented them to the table of the Spanish king, along with other goods and plants of distant America. After some time, the sale of cocoa for Spain became a gold mine: it was grown in the colonies, brought to Europe, where it was bought at a fabulous price. By that time, a drink from the fruits of an amazing plant was tasted by many European monarchs, and after them all the court nobility. Only very wealthy people could afford it - cocoa was expensive, and was literally worth its weight in gold. In Nicaragua, for example, you could buy a good slave for 100 cocoa beans. 
In London in 1657, a historic event took place - the world's first confectionery was opened, in which they cooked delicious chocolate. And if today in such cafes you will often meet girls chatting over a cup of coffee about various trifles, then in those days only men gathered there who had serious conversations about politics and played cards. Women were strictly forbidden to appear in such institutions.
Chocolate bar
Until the 19th century, the world knew only a drink made from cocoa. But in 1819, Swiss confectioners presented the first ever chocolate bar, which they made from cocoa powder. A little later, they did a simple and ingenious thing - they added milk to the chocolate. And later, another Swiss, Rudolf Lindt, came up with conching - a method of making the most delicate chocolate that melts in your mouth. The first chocolate with filling was created in Belgium in 1913, before that nuts, alcohol, honey and dried fruits were added to it. 
Original taken from all_radio
History of chocolate and interesting facts about chocolate
The history of the origin of chocolate dates back to ancient times. Around 1500 BC, the Olmec civilization appeared in the lowlands on the Gulf Coast of America. There is not much left of their culture, but many linguists believe that the word "cocoa" first sounded like "kakawa" approximately 1000 years BC, during the heyday of the Olmec culture.
Olmecs
Then there were the Maya. These distinguished themselves by throwing cocoa beans on the ground. The sun scorched them, and one of the poor gathered grains and threw them into a cup of water. Got the first chocolate. The rich people saw how the poor people drink “kakava”, and, inflamed with envy, took away a cup of “kakava” from the poor. They proclaimed the drink sacred and declared that it was bad luck for commoners to drink "kakava". To make their words more convincing, they sacrificed a couple of brave warriors. But even this was not enough for them, they made chocolate money, and no one ever doubted the sacredness of money, as well as the fact that it is a bad omen for commoners to have money. So chocolate moved to the palaces of the rulers and became terribly proud.
In the Mayan pantheon of gods, there was a cocoa god. The Maya planted the first cocoa plantations known to us. They had well developed methods for making chocolate drinks. different types using all sorts of additives and components - from cloves to pepper. The Indians did not know the Sahara at all.
god kakako
Cocoa beans were a symbol of wealth and power. Only the elite could afford a drink made from chocolate beans. The chocolate beans themselves were used instead of money. A slave could be purchased for 100 beans.
However, there is an opinion that the drink of the gods was invented not by the Mayans, but by the Aztecs. For their emperor Montezuma, they prepared the drink chocolatl (“xocolatl” - “bitter water”). The highlight of the Aztec recipe was mashed milk corn, honey, vanilla and sweet agave juice. The drink was considered sacred, only the elect could drink it: the fathers of the tribe, their entourage, priests and the most worthy warriors.
Aztecs
The first European to taste chocolate was Christopher Columbus. It happened in 1502, when the inhabitants of the island of Guyana wholeheartedly regaled their dear guest with a drink of cocoa beans. They say that Columbus delivered the mysterious grains to King Ferdinand from his fourth expedition to the New World, but no one paid attention to them - the navigator brought too many other treasures.
Columbus
Twenty years later, Hernán Cortés, the conqueror of Mexico, also tried xocolatl. When Cortes first entered the land of the Aztecs in 1519, he was mistaken for a god... In a golden cup in front of him, a strange bitter drink made from boiled cocoa beans with spices, pepper, honey, whipped to foam, smoked.
Cortes
In 1526, on his way to report to the Spanish king, who had heard rumors of his cruelty, Cortes took with him a box of selected cocoa beans. This time, chocolate was lucky: the exotic flavored drink was favorably received at the Madrid court.
Soon chocolate became the obligatory morning drink of Spanish aristocrats, especially court ladies, displacing tea and coffee, which were quite widespread by that time. The cost of the new drink was so high that one Spanish historian even wrote: "Only the rich and noble could afford to drink chocolate, as he literally drank money."
Spain
In the next 100 years, "xocolatl" from Spain penetrates into Europe, eclipsing other overseas products in price and popularity. German Emperor Charles V, aware of the commercial importance of cocoa, demands a monopoly on this product. However, already at the beginning of the 17th century, smugglers began to actively saturate the Dutch markets with chocolate, and in 1606 cocoa reached the borders of Italy through Flanders and the Netherlands. Nine years later, the daughter of Philip III of Spain, Anna of Austria, brought the first case of cocoa to Paris.
Anna of Austria
1650. The British begin to drink chocolate. In 1657, the first "Chocolate House" was opened in London - the prototype of the future "Chocolate Girls". The drink becomes part of the culture, time is calculated from it: "Come for chocolate" means "We are waiting for you by eight o'clock in the evening."
London
It took another two centuries for chocolate to acquire its modern shape, taste, and affordability. All the most interesting and important things happened to him in the 19th century. First, a hydraulic press was invented, with the help of which it was possible to extract cocoa butter from cocoa beans, reducing the bitterness of chocolate. Then the Englishman Joseph Fry cast the first chocolate bar from cocoa butter mixed with sugar. In 1876, the Swiss Daniel Peter added mass to cocoa powdered milk and got milk chocolate. Milk chocolate instantly dubbed Swiss, and now the homeland of Daniel Peter is proud of him no less than cheeses, watches and banks. That's just the name of the creator, few people know - the pharmacist Henri Nestle entered the story instead of him.
Henri Nestle
In 1674, rolls and cakes began to be made from chocolate. This year is considered the date of the appearance of "edible" chocolate, which could not only be drunk, but also eaten.
1825 The British Navy buys more cocoa than the rest of Europe. The chocolate drink is as if created for sailors on duty: nutritious, non-alcoholic. Among sailors, a strong cold northwest was called "storm chocolate".
English sailors
Many, probably, were worried about the question of why chocolate is white. The basis of a chocolate bar, which makes it hold its shape, is cocoa butter, which is white in color. Add milk powder and powdered sugar to it and get white chocolate in color. Dark chocolate is also cocoa butter plus cocoa powder, which gives the bar a dark color.
A French apothecary of the 19th century wrote about chocolate: "It is a divine heavenly drink, it is a true panacea - a universal cure for all diseases..."
In the 19th century, the first chocolate bars appear, and Jacques Neuous invents the first candy with praline filling.
A lot of people managed to build their empire on the popularity of chocolate. Amedee Kohler became famous for inventing a recipe for chocolate with nuts in 1867. In 1867 Swiss Jean Tobler invented instant chocolate. Rudolf Lindt produced his signature fondat chocolate that melted in your mouth. American Milton Hershey in 1893 built the whole city of Hershey, whose inhabitants were only engaged in making sweets. In 1905, the Cadbury brothers began to produce Dairy Milk chocolate with a delicate and rich creamy taste, which was able to compete with the Swiss.
Milton Nershi
Almost at the same time as the European ones, the most famous Russian chocolate companies were founded: Babaevsky Concern, Krasny Oktyabr, im. Krupskaya, RotFront. It was in Russia, by the way, that they were the first to flavor chocolate with liquors, cognacs, almonds, raisins or candied fruits.
Red October
How to check chocolate "for usefulness"? 25-30% content of cocoa beans in a bar indicates a rather low quality of this chocolate, 35-40% characterizes medium quality chocolate, 40-45% is present in the product quite good, but the content of cocoa beans from 45 to 60% speaks for itself for yourself - in front of you is an excellent chocolate bar that will benefit you.
Chocolate has been known since ancient times, but probably no other product has so many ardent supporters and opponents. On the one hand, there is an opinion that chocolate has a positive effect on our body, on the other hand, that it, on the contrary, is harmful and addictive, so its use should be limited.
However, we can say with confidence: chocolate is a very tasty "cure" for depression and an indispensable remedy for fatigue. Scientists have found that just inhaling the aroma of chocolate is enough to improve mood. And English perfumers even released eau de toilette with the smell of this divine delicacy. No wonder the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus called the chocolate tree "cacao theobroma".
Carl Linnaeus
It is curious that over the centuries of its existence, chocolate has been the subject of numerous treatises and studies countless times, but none of the authors to this day has definitively proven whether it is an irrefutably positive or negative phenomenon in the life of mankind.
It is now that many of us cannot imagine ourselves without a bar of chocolate, and the infinitely diverse assortment of the most diverse varieties of it has not surprised anyone for a long time. We eat this delicacy in the form of tiles, sweets, various figures, we drink it with chocolate chip cookies and we don’t even realize that there are many examples in the history of chocolate amazing facts, clearly demonstrating the attitude of our ancestors towards it.
Several centuries ago, for example, in 1624, Bishop John of Vienna forbade the Franciscan monks to use liquid chocolate - a sinful drink that "ignites passions." At about the same time, in neighboring Germany, doctors began to recommend chocolate as a general tonic, and this product has firmly established itself on the pharmacy shelves. In the middle of the 17th century, a German doctor wrote a book that chocolate increases potency in men, and a little later, the famous Venetian Casanova, the most famous seducer of women, proved this theoretical position in practice.
Casanova
But, no matter how hard Casanova tried to secure the glory of chocolate as a miracle cure, there have always been and still exist to this day opponents of this delicacy. Despite the fact that it was during the time of the famous tempter of women that many works were written praising the medical virtues of chocolate, a lively debate about the effect of chocolate on human health continues. Modern scientists have found that chocolate contains more than 300 elements, and it is not completely known how all of them affect a person.
Recent studies by two California universities have given exactly the opposite results in this regard. According to some data, chocolate contains active substances that have a mild narcotic effect on the brain, and under certain circumstances can even cause drug-like psychoses. So, for example, in chocolate in small quantities there are stimulants of the central nervous system such as caffeine. It has an effect on alertness, as we know from coffee.
The psychoactive ingredient in chocolate is anandamide, which targets the same brain structures as marijuana. True, scientists have calculated that for anandamide to have a significant effect on the brain, we need to eat several kilograms of chocolate. Researchers from another university in the same state prove that regular consumption of chocolate has a beneficial effect on the human cardiovascular system and prevents the formation of blood clots in the vessels. It is believed that this is due to the content of antioxidants in chocolate, which makes it related to another popular product - red wine.
But Japanese doctors have gone further than anyone, who consider such beneficial properties of chocolate as an increase in resistance to stress, as well as the prevention of certain types of cancer, stomach ulcers and allergic diseases, to be proven. They claim that chocolate also prevents tooth decay. The shell of cocoa beans, from which chocolate is actually made, contains an antibacterial substance that fights plaque. In the production of this treat, the shells are usually discarded, but in the future the Japanese plan to add them to chocolate to make it more beneficial for the teeth.
In fairness, it is worth noting the conclusion of scientists that the anti-caries abilities of cocoa bean shells are clearly not enough to neutralize the harm caused by the high sugar content in chocolate. So the Japanese are not going to give up toothpaste yet.
Of course, any discovery in the field of chocolate of a positive quality is, as they say, a double-edged sword. Researchers at Harvard University conducted experiments and found that if you eat chocolate three times a month, you will live almost a year longer than those who deny themselves such pleasure. But the same study shows that people who eat too much chocolate live less because it contains a high percentage of fat. This means that excessive consumption of this treat can lead to obesity and, consequently, an increased risk of heart disease.
To the delight of the ardent sweet tooth, it will not be superfluous to note that if you cannot resist the daily consumption of chocolate, then at least stick to the dark one. It contains more cocoa than dairy and helps increase HDL levels, a type of cholesterol that prevents fat from clogging arteries.
Apart from the sweetness of chocolate, there are several other chemical elements inherent in chocolate that stimulate addiction.
Many women claim that they feel a special passion for chocolate before menstruation. Perhaps this is because chocolate contains magnesium, the lack of which exacerbates premenstrual tension. A similar craving for chocolate during pregnancy may indicate anemia, which can be cured by the iron found in chocolate.
The favorite delicacy of all times and peoples has come a long and difficult way before earning this honorary title. Despite the indescribable abundance of all kinds of tempting goodies, chocolate still holds a special place in the hearts of the sweet tooth of the whole world.
Drink of the rulers
Chocolate first appeared in this world in the form of a hot drink made from cocoa beans about 3,000 years ago. And it was prepared by craftsmen from the Almec Indian tribe, who once lived on the territory of modern Mexico. Ready recipe the perspicacious Maya busily adopted it and proclaimed it a divine drink. Soon, cocoa beans became the most popular currency, and besides, they were sacrificed to the heavenly patron of cocoa, Ek Chuah.
The taste of cocoa was liked not only by Indian gods, but also by earthly rulers. The legendary Aztec emperor Montezuma was a big fan of the drink. Faithful submitted to the joy of the father-lord daily delivered to the palace at least 40 thousand bags of cocoa beans. And court cooks even developed for the emperor special recipe chocolate drink. Cocoa beans were lightly roasted and ground with grains of young corn. To sweeten the pleasure, honey, vanilla and agave juice were added to the mixture.
The history of chocolate creation would be incomplete without poetic legends. One of them tells of a simple Mexican gardener named Quetzalcoatl. He put all his mental and physical strength into growing lush gardens. Once a nondescript tree appeared in it, which the gardener called cocoa. And although its fruits looked like cucumbers, and their taste was bitter, a thick drink brewed from them filled the body with vigor and drove away melancholy. Cocoa fruits brought wealth and fame to Quetzalcoatl, which eventually blinded and corrupted the gardener. As a punishment, the gods deprived him of his mind, and in his rage, the proud man destroyed his beautiful gardens. Miraculously, only one ordinary-looking cocoa tree managed to survive, which continued to bring magical fruits to humanity.
Conquest of Europe
Opinions about who first brought chocolate to Europe have not yet been brought to a common denominator. According to one version, it was the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes, who at the beginning of the 16th century conquered part of Mexico and discovered rich stocks of strange dried beans in the storerooms of Montezuma. The trophy, along with the recipe for making the drink, was delivered to the royal court in Spain.
According to another version, the discoverer of chocolate was Christopher Columbus. Some historians claim that it was he who was the first European to try it on the island of Guyana. However, the bitter taste of the drink and the strange aroma of unknown herbs with which it was flavored disappointed Columbus, and he showed no interest in cocoa beans.
Thus, the Spaniards became the first in Europe to have a recipe for a magical drink. And since the supply of cocoa beans was more than modest, they zealously guarded the secret of the chocolate recipe from spies from neighboring countries.
The rest of Europe learned and fell in love with chocolate only in 1616, when Anna of Austria brought a whole case of cocoa beans to Paris. Soon the marvelous drink was enjoyed in the best aristocratic houses of Europe. However, only men could resist the fortress and tart bitterness, the ladies condescendingly rejected overseas treats. For sweetness, they tried to add cane sugar to cocoa, nutmeg and cinnamon. But the British finally corrected the situation at the beginning of the 18th century, deciding to dilute hot chocolate milk. It was then that the drink conquered the hearts of secular ladies with a mild taste.
Among other things, chocolate managed to become the cause of confusion of bright spiritual minds. The fact is that the Catholic Church strictly monitored the observance of all the requirements of fasting. Everything that gave pleasure was excluded from the list of products allowed for consumption. The mysterious chocolate became the cause of heated debate, so Pope Pius V was instructed to determine the degree of its sinfulness. ".
Happiness - to the masses
At the beginning of the 17th century, cocoa plantations began to grow, and chocolate came to the people, very quickly winning universal love. For some time, the French controlled its further fate. In 1659, David Schein launched the world's first chocolate factory, and already in the middle of the 18th century, private pastry shops began to open throughout France, where guests were offered a fragrant drink.
Surprisingly, until the 19th century, chocolate was known to the world only in liquid form. Swiss Francois Louis Kaye guessed to turn it into our favorite and such familiar tiles. He also built the first factory for the production of solid chocolate. Like mushrooms after rain, the same factories began to appear in Europe. Wanting to get around hated competitors, confectioners desperately tried to invent their own signature recipes, adding nuts, dried fruits, candied fruits, wine and even beer to chocolate.
In 1875, Swiss chocolate entered the stage with its head held high and later became a recognized standard. The secret of its preparation turned out to be very simple - cocoa mass mixed with condensed milk. At the same time, another Swiss, Rudolf Lindt, invented a special rolling machine. chocolate mass, thanks to which it acquired a thicker and more delicate texture.
Today, the technology of making chocolate has not changed significantly. But production volumes have reached a truly cosmic scale and amount to over 4 million tons annually. But the variety of varieties of delicacies defies any calculations and is constantly updated with new original ideas.
A bar of your favorite chocolate remains to this day the best way get rid of a bad mood and feel inspiring euphoria. Even extra calories cannot overshadow this magical feeling, since these are calories of happiness.
The history of chocolate, according to experts, began in Mexico about three millennia ago. About the fruits of cocoa was known even to the American Indians from the Olmec civilization, which existed for 1000 years BC. And how did it happen?
The history of chocolate: the beginning
Even before such great and famous civilizations as the Maya and the Aztecs, the Olmec tribes lived in the area. It was they who just for the first time began to prepare a drink from cocoa beans, they also became the first to grow. By the way, the word "kakava" was found precisely in the everyday life of this long-extinct tribe.
Later, the Mayans also became addicted to the cocoa drink, but they began to call it “chocolatl”. The Aztecs called it "cacahuatl". By the way, it has been noticed that all pagan peoples chose something unusual as objects of worship. Native American cultures have changed one another for centuries, but their attitude to cocoa has always been more than reverent. The Maya even believed that there was even a god of cocoa, and they used the chocolate drink during religious rituals, considering it sacred. The Aztecs also perceived cocoa fruits as the food of the gods, believing that "cacahuatl" would grant them spiritual insight.
Today, ancient history can be traced thanks to an amazing find discovered in Belize. There they managed to find a powder with a petrified sediment, which, according to scientists, dates back to 600 BC. As a result of the chemical analysis, it was found that this is nothing more than crushed and then boiled cocoa beans, supplemented with aromatic impurities.
The history of chocolate was further developed when, in 1502, Columbus landed his ship on American lands. Then the Indians treated him to a cup of hot chocolate. The traveler, however, refused the gift, but took the recipe and cocoa fruits with him to present to the Spanish king. The monarch also did not appreciate the innovation. And only when Cortes set foot on the Mexican coast in 1519 and decided to sweeten the too bitter dark chocolate and then bring it to the Spanish royal court, the civilized world appreciated this delicacy.
For a long time, chocolate was consumed only in liquid form. The tiled form first appeared somewhere in the middle of the 19th century, when the British thought of mixing cocoa powder with cocoa butter and granulated sugar. There was a huge demand for chocolate bars immediately. Even later, milk began to be added to the new product - this is how it was born, which today is noticeably ahead of bitter in popularity.
Today, the whole world loves chocolate, which, thanks to the most advanced production technologies, can act in completely different guises. Today, confectioners produce this cocoa-based product with nut, milk, fondant, yogurt fillings, grilled meats, dried fruits, candied fruits, and also add hot peppers to it. traditionally decorates most cakes and pastries. And, of course, all children and adults love to drink a cocoa drink in the morning and receive a beautiful curly chocolate craft for this or that holiday.
And the Chocolate Museum in Moscow is an amazing, fabulous place where every child dreams of going to make a trip along the river of chocolate (by the way, it is depicted on the floor of the establishment) into the world of this delicacy, sweet and bitter at the same time. Adults, for sure, will also be interested in the rich thematic exposition presented here, which was made up of exhibits from the funds of such legendary confectionery factories as Rot Front, Red October, Babaevskaya, as well as an ethnographic collection of objects taken from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, one way or another connected with cocoa.
In 1529, the settlers, who mastered the American continent, began to build the town of Antequera on the site of the Aztec fortress Huaxiacac (translated from the Indian “place of pumpkins”). True, the name did not take root and the former returned, but in Spanish transcription -. The settlement turned out to be in a very advantageous place - right on the approaches to the Tehuantepec Isthmus, a narrow strip of land that divides the ocean into two parts - the Pacific and the Atlantic. Oaxaca is the real birthplace of chocolate!
At Zocalo Square in Oaxaca
The city still has the feel of the colonial era. The houses are one-story - with solid masonry, low arcades, patios. The facades are finished with openwork forging and intricate stucco.
The cathedral of Santo Domingo proudly rises above the low houses. It was erected by Dominican monks as a pledge of the future monastery. Baroque beauty is hidden behind solid walls, but only in the Mexican version - churrigueresco. The arched ceiling with graceful frescoes, colonnades, statues of saints, the altar - everything sparkles and dazzles with gold.
The attractive Zocalo Square is located in the city center: it is open only for pedestrians, surrounded by laurel trees, in the middle there is an openwork gazebo and a monument to Benito Juarez. This is the only Indian who was elected governor of the state of Oaxaca, and then the president of Mexico. In the evening, the square is filled with city dwellers, villagers from the surrounding villages, merchants and shoe shiners. It is very interesting to observe the cycle of colorful, albeit unfamiliar life. And to make the evening rest even more pleasant, you need to order the national drink - hot chocolate.
Cocoa worth its weight in gold
It is curious that in a country rich in precious metals, cocoa beans were so valued - among the Aztecs they replaced money. No less curious is that Oaxaca is known as the birthplace of chocolate. But cocoa does not grow here, and its fruits are supplied by a neighbor - the state of Tobasco. They say that in 1606 the local monks told the Italian Carletti the secret of making a miracle dessert - a hot chocolate drink. And then from Italy, the sweet began to travel to other countries.
The variety of chocolate in Oaxaca is truly limitless, the city even has a special Mina street, where only chocolate shops are located. Each family is proud of their recipe for making a drink. Famous sauces are prepared here from cocoa beans - mole negro and mole poblano, and, of course, coloradito soup, where, in addition to meat and spices, they put bitter chocolate. ()
Selling chocolate in an Indian market
Mercado de Abatos is a special attraction of the city. Here they sell cocoa beans, fruits, cheeses, spices, mezcal and pepper, represented by dozens of varieties. In addition to food, the Indians sell traditional national souvenirs: embroidered clothes, shoes, bags, hats, jewelry. On the other side of the market, you can see the creativity of a different plan: paintings, ceramic dishes made without a potter's wheel, painted wooden figurines - alebrijes (you will not find them anywhere except Oaxaca in Mexico). Read more about the sights of the state of Oaxaca.
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