Guide to Chocolate
It’s an undeniable truth: everybody loves chocolate. So how could we not do a post on everybody’s favourite treat?
The origin of the word “chocolate” comes from the Aztec word “xocoatl” which is a bitter drink brewed from cacao beans. Fun fact: the Latin name for the cacao tree is Theobroma cacao, which means “food of the gods”. That makes sense considering how incredible chocolate tastes.
It has been estimated that chocolate has been around for 2000 years but some people believe that it is even older. Chocolate originated in South America. The Mayans and the Aztecs believed the cacao bean had magical and divine properties and used chocolate for their sacred rituals. Their chocolate however, is unlike the chocolate we know today. It was a bitter drink.
Sweetened chocolate didn't appear until Europeans discovered the Americas. In the 1500s, Spanish explorers went to the Americas looking for silver and gold but returned with chocolate. Apparently, the Spanish did not like chocolate at first but once it was mixed with honey or cane sugar, it quickly became popular throughout Spain. However, chocolate symbolized luxury, wealth and power and was expensive so only the elites could afford it.
The Spanish managed to keep chocolate a secret for almost a century but by the 17th century, chocolate had become a prominent drink throughout Europe and was believed to have nutritious, medicinal and aphrodisiac properties.
In 1828, a Dutch chemist found a way to make powdered chocolate. His product became known as Dutch cacao and it soon led to the creation of solid chocolate.
The first modern chocolate bar was invented by Joseph Fry in 1847. Milk chocolate was only invented later in the 19th century by none other than the famous Nestle.
Now, there are lots of other ingredients that can be combined with chocolate to achieve a variety of flavours and treats. For example, we sell the egg custard chocolate bar, flaked chili dark chocolate bar, strawberry and champagne chocolate pizza, chocolate caramel and much more. Be sure to come to our stores in Central and Wan Chai to satisfy all your chocolate needs and we’ll see you in a few weeks with a new blog post. In the meantime, share this post and comment below on which sweet you want us to feature next.