Know more about the Hot Chocolate History
Hot Chocolate History – What’s the delicious story behind the invention of hot chocolate that has become one of the world’s most loved beverages?
All over the world, many beverages have already been invented. However, one of the constants, especially during the cold season is hot chocolate. Over the years, this drink has undergone innovations with new flavors added while some people still remain to be true to the original and unadulterated flavor.
Based on the article in Reader’s Digest, the first time that chocolate was consumed in liquid form was by the Olmec people of northwestern Central America around 1500 B.C.
This comforting drink was loved by Aztec emperor Montezuma. The Aztec word for it is xocolatl, pronounced shoh-kwah-tl or shoh-kwah-lah-tl, which eventually evolved into the English word chocolate. At first, Aztecs did not drink their cocoa hot.
At that time, the sugar did not arrive in their place yet from Europe. Because of this, they usually put peppers and spices in their chocolate drink. Aztecs enjoyed the drink even though it was not as flavorful as it is now. They believed that chocolate was a gift from the gods and that it had healing properties.
In the 1500s, when the Spanish people arrived in the Americas, chocolate in liquid form was brought to the other side of the world. Then, wealthy Europeans added sugar and drank it warm. It became the “beverage of the aristocracy,” based on what author Bertram Gordon wrote in Chocolate: History, Culture and Heritage. It was because sugar was a luxury at that time.
Doctors also took advantage of chocolate’s popularity and used it to hide the unpleasant taste of medicines. Eventually, hot chocolate reached the masses. Chocolate houses sprouted across between casinos and cafes.
However, by the end of the 18th century, the popularity of chocolate houses had mostly died off. One of the reasons for this was that the cost of chocolate was much higher than that of coffee or tea.
If you are not a fan of hot chocolate or any hot beverage, a fancy cold dessert might catch your attention, like the Spaghetti Ice Cream created by Italian-German ice cream maker Dario Fontanella