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Long before the Europeans discovered their penchant for cocoa these aromatic beans were already a source of food and pleasure for the natives of Central and Southern America. One of the Olmec people is said to have given the plant the name “cocoa” over 3,000 years ago.
Archaeological findings have revealed that the Mayans (zenith 250 to 900 AD) placed vessels for cocoa drinks in the tombs of the dead. Even when the Aztec culture displaced that of the Mayans, cocoa remained an important source of food and means of payment.
When Columbus landed in Central America in 1502, however, he showed very little interest in the bitter tasting drink with the Aztec name “xocaoatl” (from xococ = sour, bitter, spicy and atl = water). It was the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez who brought the “drink of the gods” to Spain in 1529. Yet the Europeans were not taken with the taste of the unsweetened cocoa preparation. Only after it was mixed with honey or cane sugar did chocolate become popular throughout the world. In 1847 the first bar of chocolate was produced by an English company. Ultimately, at the end of the 19th century, a mixture of condensed milk and chocolate led to the creation of the most successful chocolate variety – milk chocolate.
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