The History of Chocolate

Chocolate has been loved by people for thousands of years. It started as a bitter drink made by ancient peoples in Central America. Over time, Europeans added sugar and milk to make the sweet chocolate we enjoy today. The story of chocolate is a fascinating journey from the jungles of Central America to candy stores around the world.

Ancient Chocolate

The Maya and Aztec civilizations were the first to make chocolate. They ground cacao beans into a paste and mixed it with water, chili peppers, and spices to make a bitter, frothy drink. The Aztecs believed cacao was a gift from the gods. Cacao beans were so valuable that they were used as money. A turkey could be bought for about 100 cacao beans.

Modern Chocolate

When Spanish explorers brought cacao beans back to Europe in the 1500s, Europeans added sugar to make the drink sweeter. In 1847, the first chocolate bar was made in England by Joseph Fry. In 1875, Daniel Peter in Switzerland created milk chocolate by adding powdered milk. Today, the chocolate industry is worth over 130 billion dollars, and people around the world eat millions of tons of chocolate every year.

Fun Facts

• The Aztecs used cacao beans as money.
• Switzerland eats more chocolate per person than any other country.
• It takes about one full year for a cacao tree to produce enough beans to make 10 small chocolate bars.

Did You Know?

The scientific name for the cacao tree is Theobroma cacao, which means "food of the gods" in Greek!