Where does Dark rich Chocolate come from?
Who Invented Chocolate? The Olmec Indians are believed to be the
first to grow cocoa beans as a domestic crop somewhere between 1500
BC and 400 BC. Later on the consumption of cocoa beans was
restricted to the elite of Mayan society in the liquid form. As
Mayan's migrate into the northern regions of South America around
600 AD, they established cocoa plantations in the Yucatan. By the
14th Century this liquid libation become popular among the upper
classes of Aztec society. They were the first to tax the beans than
made this drink called "xocalatl" meaning warm or bitter liquid.
Early Spanish explores to the area discovered the bean drink and in
the 16th Century brought it to Europe. They began to add cane sugar
and flavorings such as vanilla to their sweet cocoa beverages and
by 1570 AD the cocoa was used as a popular medicine and
aphrodisiac. A century later the English introduced a solid
chocolate in the form of chocolate rolls and cakes, served in
chocolate emporiums