Did you know that the history of cocoa and chocolate goes back almost 4000 years? Or that cocoa played an important role as a currency in the Mayan and Aztec cultures?

There are few foodstuffs with such a rich and intriguing history as cocoa and chocolate. Just like coffee, we inherited the cocoa bean from the pre-Columbian cultures in Latin America.

When Hernando Cortés first imported cocoa to Europe, and when he learned how to make the chocolate drink with it, it caused quite a stir: divine to some, heretical to others. Even today, cocoa and chocolate still exude an aura of mystery, luxury and pleasure.

1502 was the first date of importance for Europe in getting acquainted with cocoa and chocolate. It was the adventurous time of the Spanish conquistadores with Christopher Columbus the first to set sail to the new world. When he reached the island of Guanaja – close to Honduras – the local people went part of the way by proa to meet him, their boats loaded with cocoa beans.

As they offered their precious chocolate gift to Columbus, some of the beans fell into the water. The Mexicans dived into to the water to save the beans as if they were the most precious items in the world. This amazed the Spanish. However, they did not really value “these strange almonds” and regarded them as a worthless local oddity at first.

The Spanish originally were merely interested in the economic value of cocoa. They even judged the chocolate drink as horrible, and the rites and habits as heretic. But after some decades the Aztecs convinced the Spanish of the great nutritional value and the medicinal powers of cocoa, cocoa butter and the chocolate drink.

1528: Cortés imported the first cocoa beans into Spain while the Spanish maintained and stimulated cocoa cultivation in a restricted area in Latin America. They dominated and even monopolized the cocoa market and tried to keep the secret of this new gold to themselves.

Chocolate arrives on the European continent... as a medicine.

When chocolate arrived on the European continent, it was first regarded as a medicine, rather than as a delicious foodstuff. This was related to the Aztec belief that chocolate strengthened the body and was sensually stimulating. The first official statement was made by Bonavontura Di Aragon, brother of Cardinal Richelieu, in 1653: he described the use of chocolate as stimulating the healthy functioning of the spleen and other digestive functions.

Another example of this medicinal classification of chocolate is found in the first publication of the recipe for chocolate made by the Spanish doctor Antonio Colmenero de Ledesma in 1631. This was based on the ancient Aztec recipe, but the bitter flavor was enhanced by adding flowers and herbs like anis, vanilla, Roses of Alexandria, cinnamon, almonds, hazelnuts… The exact spices added depended on the physical ailments one suffered.

Pharmacists and doctors often added their “functional and proven” medicines to the chocolate recipe in the 17th century. The taste of chocolate made the often bitter and bad taste of many medicines more acceptable.

In the 17th and 18th century, chocolate was regularly prescribed or mixed into medication for all sorts of ailments and diseases: the Dutch doctor Bontecoe saw it as highly effective against colds and coughing. According to the French Lémery it promoted digestion, fertility and human resistance to colds and flu. Chocolate was even considered as “brain power”, to reinforce the mental performance of people, or even for people suffering from depression. This was confirmed by doctors all over Europe: Bontecoe, Brillat-Savarin, Lémery and many others.

Because the medical properties of the Aztec-inspired chocolate drink recipe were so widely accepted, chocolate became the subject of abuse by charlatans who attributed advantages to it without any proof. Chocolate also became the subject of forgery and fraud, using waste products like the cheap cocoa shells instead of the precious kernels of the cocoa bean.

... and eventually as a sweet treat

Benzoni, an explorer working for the Spanish army, describes in his traveling notes in 1565 for the first time how the cocoa drink is prepared. The Spanish keep this secret from the rest of the world, in the hope they can keep their monopoly in the cocoa trade.

However, we owe the recipe for sweet chocolate to the nuns residing in Oaxaca (Mexico) - they popularized the chocolate drink among the colonials by adding honey, cinnamon and cane sugar. It was Spanish monks who introduced the first sweet delicacy to Spain around 1590. They sweetened the chocolate drink with honey and vanilla. The sweet sensation they developed laid the basis for our chocolate recipe today. It would conquer the world at a stroke.

In 1606 the Italian trader Carletti revealed the secrets of cocoa and the preparation of the chocolate drink to his fellow Italians. Carletti had enjoyed cocoa and chocolate in the West Indies and in Spain. It was a sensation he wanted to share with fellow Italians… with quite some effect. In Italy this lead to a real chocolate-mania, with cioccolatieri opening up in all major cities with Perugia as the heart of the Italian chocolate world. In Venice the first chocolate shops appeared. From Italy, chocolate was introduced to Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The French got to know chocolate in 1615: when Louis XIII married the Spanish Anna of Austria. They moved to France, introducing the chocolate drink to the royal court. Anna even brought her own maid Molina to France, a beautiful girl who prepared the queen’s cocoa drink.

The Netherlands became part of the Spanish imperium in the 14th century, which explains the early introduction of cocoa there in 1621. The West Indian Company even imported cocoa through the port of Amsterdam, set up small-scale production units for the processing of cocoa and sold its products to foreign traders.

Belgium was annexed with the Spanish imperium after the death of Charles the Bold in 1477. The first traces of cocoa were found in Ghent in 1635 in the Baudeloo abbey.

In 1641 the German scientist Johan Georg Volckammer tasted chocolate on his trip to Napoli. He was so overwhelmed by the charm of it that he imported some chocolate to Germany. It took him some time to convince the Germans, but after a while many of them fell for its taste. The Germans even introduced the habit of drinking a cup of hot chocolate before sleeping. Did this have something to do with the German belief in chocolate as the best stimulus for passion?

As for the English, chocolate was valued as “extravagant” when they first got to taste it in 1657. As in the rest of Europe, chocolate was a privilege at first, only consumed at the royal court and by the nobles but it soon developed into a popular foodstuff for the upper class. 

And finally: France had its first real chocolatier in 1659. David Chaillou prepared and sold biscuits and cakes made with chocolate for those who could afford it. It is still too early for real pralines, as we know them. 

In 1674 chocolate was served in pastry in the first coffee houses in the UK. 
When he visited the Belgian capital Brussels in 1697 the Zurich mayor Heinrich Escher tasted chocolate on one of his tours around the city. He was filled with so much amazement and enthusiasm that he immediately took samples back with him to Switzerland. Escher probably never imagined for himself what the consequence for Switzerland would be – becoming one the world's greatest chocolate nations.
In 1840 the first pressed chocolate tablets, pastilles and figures are produced in Belgium by the chocolate company Berwaerts.

Historians still argue about who produced the first ever chocolate in solid form, as the hard and shiny chocolate we are familiar with today. However, the British family Fry claims to have marketed the first ever solid chocolate bar in 1846: an important, historic step. We must not forget that chocolate was originally consumed mainly as a drink, as a liquid. It was processed in some cookies and cakes, but never consumed in solid form. Progress in cocoa and chocolate production and industrialization made it possible to give chocolate creative and innovative shapes that would forever change its appearance.

After Baker and Hannon, another important name in the American chocolate history is Ghirardelli, an Italian confectioner. He often traveled to Peru and started exporting beans to San Francisco to sell them to the gold prospectors. By 1860, Ghirardelli discovered by chance how to produce almost completely fat-free cocoa powder. One of his employees had put some leftover ground cocoa beans in a cotton bag and left them overnight. The following morning Ghirardelli discovered that the cocoa butter was absorbed by the bag and had seeped onto the floor. Ghirardelli later engineered a way to extract cocoa butter from ground cocoa to create a very soluble cocoa powder.

In 1865 chocolate was first mixed with hazelnut paste in Italy: the first gianduja was born. It became a very popular recipe that even led to the major success of “gianduietti”, small bonbons of pure gianduja.

In many European countries at the end of the 19th century chocolate became legally protected because it had by then become the subject of a wide-scale fraud: many manufacturers produced cheap chocolate by replacing cocoa with cocoa shells and cocoa butter by other fats. At the same time, many governments developed a growing sense of responsibility for safety and purity of foodstuffs. In the main parts of Europe, chocolate could only be labeled as chocolate if it contained at least 32% of pure cocoa solids. In Belgium, the government determined it at 35% in 1894. Strict control and legal prosecution of food forgers led to an overall quality improvement of chocolate.

Until the beginning of the 20th century, chocolate remained the exclusive privilege of the rich and famous. Chocolate remained extremely expensive due to very high cocoa and sugar prices in the 19th century. For the chocolate manufacturers, growth of the chocolate market could only be achieved by growth of the high-income group.

Around 1900, the prices of the two main ingredients for chocolate – cocoa and sugar – dropped tremendously. In addition, the liberalization of the cocoa trade and the abolition of government taxes on cocoa lead to a growing democratization of cocoa and chocolate. As a consequence, in ten years time, chocolate became affordable for a growing number of mainly middle class consumers in the first half of the 20th century. 

In Italy, Francesco Buitoni, a relative of the renowned pasta making family, starts developing his chocolate activities in 1907. In 1922 he invents and markets the famous “baci”, which means kisses in Italian. These are small chocolates, wrapped in silver paper that contain a love message. Chocolate and romance go hand in hand.

The end of the nineties and the beginning of the 21st century gave a new impulse to chocolate. More and more consumers worldwide actively search for food that is not only delicious but also carries some functional benefits for their health and body. Scientific studies on cocoa and chocolate have already revealed a lot of potential benefits from moderate consumption of cocoa and chocolate, and there is more expected. Maybe the Spanish doctors and early scientists back in the 17th century got it right after all when it comes to the nutritious and health benefits of the cocoa bean and chocolate.

Source: Callebaut Chocolate

CHOCOLATE – THE PERFECT GIFT
They look beautiful, they are presented in classic timeless style – and they taste wonderful.

What better gift to give – whether it’s a small gesture or an entire family treat – a gift to your family or to your staff – old or young, they are sure to appreciate your choice of our delicious freshly made continental chocolates.

We can send your order to any UK address along with your personal message – our chocolates are securely packed to ensure a perfect delivery every time.

Don’t forget – all of our chocolates are delivered free of charge by 1st class post. See our chocolate gifts.

WHAT’S OUR SECRET?

So what is the secret of good chocolate and why is it so hard for us to find nearer to home? Well here’s some of the answers. Quality of ingredients, the very best chocolates will only have the very best ingredients.

That’s why our chocolates have no artificial additives or preservatives. We never compromise on quality.

 Expertise and imagination of the chocolatier, their skill is an artform – a good chocolatier is like a gourmet chef – it’s that special spark of passion and creativity that sets their chocolates apart,  and of course fresh is best – the fresher the chocolates the fresher the taste – it’s that simple. Our chocolates will never sit on a shop shelf growing old. They are collected by us from our chocolatiers and delivered direct to your door.

20 YEARS EXPERIENCE

We have been importing great continental chocolates for over two decades and have formed some great  friendships over the years with some of Europes finest Chocolatiers. They are constantly experimenting with new and exciting recipes and they often come to us first to try out new flavours and recipes – your feedback can decide the fate of their latest creations.