ORIGINS OF CHOCOLATEAlyssa Lambert

EDUC 357

September 11,2009

Why this topic interest me…

I really like chocolate and think it is so interesting how it can be used in so many different ways. I always remember hearing about the Ancient Mayans and how they used chocolate in their daily lives. To me, chocolate is important in my life. I eat it everyday in many different ways. I really want to understand better how important chocolate was to the Ancient Mayans.

Questions I have…

How did people discover chocolate?

How did the Ancient people make chocolate?

Did they use chocolate as currency?

How did they use the chocolate in their daily lives?

What was the most unusual thing they did with chocolate?

Source: http://www.authenticmaya.com/images/maya%20choco.jpg

Connections with the Standards

6.1.1 - Early and Classical Civilizations: 1900 B.C. /B.C.E to 700 A.D. /C.E. Describe the rise; the political, technological and cultural achievements; and the decline of ancient civilizations in Europe and Mesoamerica.

6.1.23 - Chronological Thinking, Historical Comprehension, Analysis and Interpretation, Research: Form research questions and use a variety of information resources to obtain, evaluate and present data on people, cultures and developments in Europe and the Americas.

How did people discover Chocolate?

Chocolate comes from the cacao plant. This plant has fruit pods that are long oval shaped and red in color. Monkeys were the first to eat these fruit pods. The pods contained a sweet pulp inside and a bitter seed in the center. The Ancient people did what the monkeys did and eat only the fruit first. Cacao beans were discarded all over Mesoamerica which resulted in the an abundance of cacao trees in South America. The Ancient people could have learned the beans gave off an chocolaty smell when they fell in a fire and roasted, therefore making the Ancient people realize the bean was useful.

Understanding Chocolate. The Pre-Columbian Experience. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from http://www.allchocolate.com/understanding/history/pre_columbian.aspx

How did the Ancient people make chocolate?

The Ancient Mayans had chocolate into a spicy drink that they are said to have drank at every meal every day. They gathered the cacao beans and would grind them using two utensils called mano and metate. They would mix this chocolate powder with cornmeal, Chile peppers, honey, and water and pour it from bowl to bowl until thick foam formed. This process made the spicy chocolate drink the Mayans drank everyday.

All About Chocolate: Just for Kids. The Maya were Early Chocolate Makers. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from http://www.fieldmuseum.org/CHOCOLATE/kids_facts2.html

Did they use chocolate as currency?

The Mayans would use cacao beans to trade for items such as jade, clothe, and feathers. A slave could even be buy with 100 cacao beans.

Mayan Civilizations. Mayan Chocolate. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from http://www.mayancivilizationinfo.com/mayanchocolate.html

Source: http://www.transfairusa.org/images/CACAO.jpg

How did they use the chocolate in their daily lives?

Chocolate was an important part of the Ancient people’s lives. They used cacao beans to trade for goods. They used chocolate in their worship of their gods. In their creation story they have a cacao tree instead of an apple tree. The ancient people painted stories on vases and tablets about the importance of cacao beans in daily life.

Understanding Chocolate. The Pre-Columbian Experience. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from http://www.allchocolate.com/understanding/history/pre_columbian.aspx

What was the most unusual thing they did with chocolate?

The Aztec leader Montezuma is said to have drank chocolate that was as thick at honey and the color red. Supposedly he drank 50 goblets full of this chocolate out of solid gold goblets. After he was finished he would throw away the goblets because to him the chocolate was more valuable and important than the gold.

CNN. Chocolate Treasures from Ancient Civilizations to Today. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/indepth.food/sweets/history/

References

Understanding Chocolate. The Pre-Columbian Experience. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from http://www.allchocolate.com/understanding/history/pre_columbian.aspx

All About Chocolate: Just for Kids. The Maya were Early Chocolate Makers. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from http://www.fieldmuseum.org/CHOCOLATE/kids_facts2.html

Mayan Civilizations. Mayan Chocolate. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from http://www.mayancivilizationinfo.com/mayanchocolate.html

CNN. Chocolate Treasures from Ancient Civilizations to Today. Retrieved September 11, 2009 from http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/indepth.food/sweets/history/