When we talk about chocolate , the yummy taste of it comes to the most of the people. But chocolate isn’t that simple. Scientific researchs showed us that it used for different uses about 1000 years. Even though the modern chocolate we know is no more than 100 years old, it used by Aztecs and middle America civilations for a long time.
The Olmecs undoubtedly passed their cacao knowledge on to the Central American Maya who not only consumed chocolate, they revered it. The Mayan written history mentions chocolate drinks being used in celebrations and to finalize important transactions and ceremonies. Despite chocolate’s importance in Mayan culture, it wasn’t reserved for the wealthy and powerful, but was readily available to almost everyone. In many Mayan households, chocolate was enjoyed with every meal. Mayan chocolate was thick and frothy and often combined with chili peppers, honey or water.
When we come to the point, when and how we met with chocolate? There are conflicting reports about when chocolate arrived in Europe, although it’s agreed it first arrived in Spain. One story says Christopher Columbus discovered cacao beans after intercepting a trade ship on a journey to America and brought the beans back to Spain with him in 1502.Another tale states Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes was introduced to chocolate by the Aztecs of Montezuma’s court. After returning to Spain, cacao beans in tow, he supposedly kept his chocolate knowledge a well-guarded secret. A third story claims that friars who presented Guatemalan Mayans to Second Philip of Spain in 1544 also brought cacao beans along as a gift.
No matter how chocolate got to Spain, by the late 1500s it was a much-loved indulgence by the Spanish court, and Spain began importing chocolate in 1585. As other European countries such as Italy and France visited parts of Central America, they also learned about cacao and brought chocolate back to their respective countries. Soon, chocolate mania spread throughout Europe. With the high demand for chocolate came chocolate plantations, which were worked by thousands of enslaved people.
After chocolate came and got famous in the Europe, it evolved to different usages like medical, psychological and cosmetics. Also Chocolate is especially rich in flavanols like epicatechin and catechin, as well as anthocyanins and phenolic acids. All of these compounds help protect your cells from inflammation, improve your brain function, boost your immune and cardiovascular health. Dark chocolate can also give you: Cardiovascular support.
İn the end chocolate isn’t just a yummy desert that makes us happy moreover it has a rich history.