Chocolate. It is hard to believe that there is a single soul in the entire world that hasn't heard or tasted this delicious confection, in either of it's forms. Over the history the product made from cocoa beans has been used in religious rituals, has been traded as currency, given as a gift on millions of occasions and is now a symbol of pleasure, delight, childhood and love. So powerful is it's magic, that is no doubt that the latest dictionaries include the term "chocoholic". Well, aren't we all, to some degree ? Yet, despite it's popularity, many of us don't really know much about it's history and origin.
The Bruce Museum of Arts and Science in Greenwich, Fairfield County, USA is trying to present the history and legends of chocolate in a fascinating exhibition titled "A Taste for Chocolate", opened between 21 of July 2007 - 24 of February 2008. This show explores the uses of cocoa and chocolate in history, paying close attention to the cultural influence of this delicious product on society, after the discovery of the Americas.
In order to present the development and the role played by chocolate throughout history, from the ancient times of the Aztec and Maya to the 20th century, the core of the show being a collection of 50 examples of decorative arts and historical artefacts from all ages. Some of these pieces, of great cultural and historical value, are on loan form prestigious museums all around the world, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Wilbur Chocolate's Americana Museum in Lititz, Pennsylvania and many others. In order to complete the experience, the organisers have even prepared a life-size re-creation of the Cacao tree, herbarium specimens of a branch, flower and pod from the New York Botanical Garden and also a short and interesting presentation of the chocolate history.
 | Many of the myths and legends about chocolate and cocoa are debunked, but the visitors also have the chance of finding exciting new things. For example, did you know that the cocoa tree has been cultivated for over 1400 years or the fact that the fruit, which is actually a pod, grows on the trunk of the tree ? What about the history of chocolate ? |
According to historians, the first cocoa plantation was established by the Maya in about 600 A.D. , the Aztec later learning about the cocoa due to the trades. In the 1400's the beans were already the base of Aztec economy. According to the Aztec legend, the beans were actually stolen by Quetzalcoatl from the other gods and given to his people as a gift. The recipe for chocolatl differs greatly from what we know today as chocolate, and yet this spicy drink was the national beverage of the mighty empire, considered to have magical powers. Actually, it was a mix of cocoa, water, chili peppers, cornmeal and other various ingredients.
The first European to ever taste this magical drink was Hernan Cortes, in 1519. Amazed by the taste, he would bring no fewer than three chestfuls back to Spain and for the next century the delicious beverage was a closely guarded secret, being reserved only for the court and clergy. The beverage will spread throughout Europe in the 17th century,being very fashionable and popular. Over the next two centuries the English, Dutch and especially Swiss traders learned to grind the beans into powder, and later the chocolate, as we know it today, was born. In the US chocolate would not be popular until the middle of the 18th century.
2007-07-25
