Chocolate

Mayans and chocolateCocoa beans grew in the rain forests of central and South America, discovered and treasured by the Mayans hundreds of years before it was introduced to Europe

The Mayans and Aztecs used coco as a currency and early explorer found out that 4 cocoa beans could buy a pumpkin and 10 could buy a rabbit.

They developed a drink called chocolati made from roasted cocoa beans, water and spices.

In royal and religious events cocoa beans were often used as a gift because of their value and could be traded for merchandise.

Mayans would carry the beans to markets via canoes or on their backs, some travelled as far as Mexico where the Aztecs lived to introduce their much valued cocoa beans.

Aztecs and chocolateThe Aztecs consumed much of the drink chocolatl as it was considered a luxury.

The Aztec version of the drink chocolatl was described as "finely ground, soft, foamy, reddish, bitter with chilli water, aromatic flowers, vanilla and wild bee honey."

The Aztecs drank there chocolatl hot, like we commonly do today.

People had to grow and give cocoa beans as tax, which the Aztecs called a tribute.

Hot chocolate | Chocolatl Hot chocolate is sold as packaged powder.

Hot chocolate isn't rare or extremely prized.

In most hot chocolate the actual cocoa beans are replaced by flavours.

Many things are added like preservative and flavours to enhance the flavour and sweetness of the drink

Hot chocolate is a casual drink with no restrictions on who drinks it and when it's drunk.

People would make their own chocolatl.

Chocolatl was used for rituals such as marriage and given to royal, had much importance.

For the Aztecs the only ingredient were natural, cocoa

beans, water and various spices.

Chocolatl was confined to the elite and only important events.

ProcedureCocoa beans are harvested from the pods of the

cocoa tree, the pods grow of the trunk and branches in a very unusual way. Once the pods

are pulled of the tree you open up the pods and pull out a seeds that are covered with a sweet,

nice tasting pulp. The bitter seeds are gathered roasted and ground into a paste and mixed with

spice like chilli and Kayan pepper and patted into cakes of chocolate. Through a complex process of fermentation, drying, roasting the Aztecs and Mayans got a dry any crumbly chocolate, it was

not the right texture to eat but it was put into water and made into a thick foamy beverage

called chocolatl.

Development For the Aztecs and Mayans chocolatl was a highly valued, sacred drink that was confined to the elite. The Aztec empower had store houses of cocoa beans. In 1590 conquistador Hernánd Cortés was introduced to the beverage and was so impressed that he brought it back to Spain, where an important ingredient was added; sugar. The Spanish king Charles the first loved the new founded flavour so much he tried to hide it and prevent it spreading, he used monks that had taken a vow of silence to harvest the beans attempting to keep it quiet. Never the less by the late 1600s the chocolate drink had spread all through Europe. From there came the first chocolate made for eating, first chocolate factory and the invention of the bean press which helped the process leading up to what chocolate is now.

Bibliographyhttps://www.cadbury.com.au/About-Chocolate/

Discovering-Chocolate.aspx http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_chocolate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h4ZrUnBGYc

www.thestoryofchocolate.com/ www.aphrodite-chocolates.co.uk/

history_chocolate.htm