The appeal of chocolate . . . worldwide
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Cultural Traditions of a World Favorite: The Cocoa Bean

There is nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate.—Linda Grayson

Chocolate is high on the favorite list of many people. It soothes stress, is a weapon against depression, heightens awareness, elevates mood, and rouses passion. It is the choice of many as the answer to “What one thing you would take with you if stranded on a desert island?”

The art of chocolate (artisanal pieces from Joséphine Vannier in Paris)
© Meredith Mullins

However, we rarely stop to think about the labor-intensive international process that brings chocolate to our ready-and-willing taste buds. And few of us know about its 4000-year-old dramatic history and the legacy of its cultural traditions.

So, here are some “Oh, I see”chocolate moments. Grab a piece of chocolate or a cup of hot cocoa and dive into these ten fun facts about chocolate.

The presence of the cocoa bean in an Aztec-inspired art piece.
© Gerasimov Sergey/iStock

1. “An Olmec, a Mayan, and an Aztec walked into a bar . . .”

The history of chocolate began with the creation of a hot cocoa drink in the pre-Olmec era of Mexico (around 2000 BC).

In Mexico, Central America, and South America, the Mayans (around 800 AD) and the Aztecs (in the 1400s) also developed a taste for the cocoa drink—spicy and hot. And, in the Aztec culture, sometimes they mixed in a bit of human blood.

In fact, rumor has it that the Aztec emperor Montezuma II drank more than 50 cups of chocolate a day.

Foam was de rigueur, so connoisseurs blew air into their cups of cocoa.
© Meredith Mullins from the Musée du Chocolat

2. “I’ll Have Mine with Double Foam, Please.”

The Mayans and the Aztecs preferred lots of foam with their cocoa drink. To make sure that foam took priority, they blew air into the drink or poured the drink from an elevated vessel to a receptor below.

Great heights create great foam.
© Meredith Mullins from the Musée du Chocolat

3. The Rise of Bean Counters

Both the Mayans and Aztecs used cocoa beans as currency. For example, in 1545, one bean could buy one large tomato or five green peppers. A rabbit, on the other hand, cost a steep ten beans.

How many cocoa beans does it take to buy a rabbit?
© Meredith Mullins from the Musée du Chocolat

4. Jumping on the Cocoa Wagon

Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés learned to love drinking cocoa at Aztec receptions, as he began to colonize Mexico in the name of Spain.

Before going on to conquer the Aztec Empire, he wrote to Charles the Fifth (in 1520), “Cocoa beans are like almonds. The Indians use them as currency and as a drink which makes the body stronger and fends off fatigue.”

When the Spanish added sugar to hot cocoa, its popularity across Europe skyrocketed.
© Meredith Mullins from the Musée du Chocolat

5. A Well-kept Secret

The Spanish guarded the secret of the cocoa drink in Mexico. It wasn’t until 1528 that Cortés brought cocoa beans back to Spain and 1580 when it became popular (with added sugar to sweeten the experience).

Would Anne of Austria have ever envisioned a chocolate Arc de Triomphe?
© Meredith Mullins from the Musée du Chocolat

6. A Perk of Marriage

Anne of Austria, daughter of Philip III, King of Spain, married Louis XIII and brought the chocolate drink to France in the early 1600s. Soon, the chocolate habit spread to the royal courts of Europe.

As famous letter writer and French aristocrat, Madame de Sévigné, said in a 1672 letter to her daughter: “Take chocolate in order that even the most tiresome company seems acceptable to you.”

Words to live by.

Cocoa beans come primarily from Africa, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia.
© Al-Travelpicture/iStock

7. In Search of the Perfect Chocolate

Even though cocoa was discovered (and revered) in the Americas, most cocoa now comes from Africa, with about one third coming from the Ivory Coast. Ghana and Indonesia are in 2^ndand 3^rdplace.

Just as wine is influenced by the terroir of the grapes (soil, climate, and sunshine), such is the case with chocolate. The type of cocoa bean is also important.

Criollo is the most aromatic and comes from Mexico, Madagascar, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Forastero is a more bitter, rougher cocoa and comes from Brazil, Malaysia, and West Africa. This variety accounts for almost 80% of the world’s chocolate. Trinitario is found everywhere in the growing zone and combines the best of the two other varieties.

The cocoa bean tree—Theobroma cacao (food of the gods).
© Best for Best/iStock

8. From Bean to Mouth

It was only in the 19^thcentury that chocolate was produced in solid form so that it could be eaten rather than drunk. Whether cocoa or solid chocolate, the process from bean to finished product is labor intensive.

The pods are harvested by hand, and the beans are removed, fermented, dried, winnowed, roasted, and ground.

It takes about 400 beans to make a single pound of chocolate. Or, put in a different context, it takes a cocoa tree about a year to produce the pods needed to make 10 chocolate bars (according to Sherry-Marie Perguson’s And Then God Made Chocolate!).

A mixture of chocolates—dark, milk, and white— make this all-chocolate
fashion statement.
© Meredith Mullins from the Musée du Chocolat

9. A Healthy Choice

Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate each have different characteristics. Milk chocolate contains milk products. White chocolate does not contain cocoa solids, only cocoa butter.

Dark chocolate is rich in nutrients such as iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, potassium, zinc, and selenium. Its low saturated fatty acids and high content of oleic acid also lowers cholesterol.

Chocolate may also contain a few random insect parts, but have no fear. The FDA rejects products that have more than 60 insect pieces in 100 grams of chocolate.

Not just food of the gods, but inspiration for artisanal chocolate makers.
An all-chocolate violin from Joséphine Vannier.
© Meredith Mullins

10. Food of the Gods

There is a reason the cocoa tree is called Theobroma cacao.The name is derived from Greek for “food of the gods.” A fitting name for this world treasure. Chocolate also inspires artistic creativity. The chocolatiers of the world have made some amazing creations.

Stock up. World chocolate day is July 7. But, with such rich cultural traditions, there’s no reason we can’t celebrate chocolate every day of the year.

All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt. —Charles M. Schulz

All-chocolate hats by Joséphine Vannier
© Meredith Mullins

Thank you to the Musée du Chocolat in Paris and Joséphine Vannier Chocolat Artisanal in Paris for information about chocolate.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.