The History of Hot Chocolate
The history of hot chocolate stretches back thousands of years, long before chocolate became the bars and confectionery we know today.
Chocolate has an unusual history because cacao was consumed as a drink for centuries before people developed the eating chocolate that later became familiar around the world. Early chocolate drinks were very different from modern hot chocolate, with generations of experimentation gradually changing how cacao was prepared and consumed.
From the early use of cacao in Central America through the Maya and Aztec civilisations, its arrival in Europe and the later addition of sugar and milk, the story of hot chocolate is also the story of how chocolate itself developed.
The First Cacao Drinks
The first known people to consume cacao lived in what is now Mexico around 3750 years ago. The plants were not farmed and instead the people gathered either the beans or the leaves and fermented them into an alcoholic beverage.
The Olmec Civilisation became the first to actively farm the beans and attached a powerful religious significance to them.
Maya and Aztec Drinking Chocolate
Around 2500 years ago, the great city states of the Maya began to rise from the jungles of South America. Their version of drinking chocolate was different from their predecessors as it was non alcoholic and didn't involve using the plants' leaves.
Instead they ground the beans down into a fine paste before mixing them with water. The drink was then poured repeatedly between two cups to make it frothy. As sugar had not arrived at this time, spices such as chili peppers were added to give it flavour. This drink was consumed by people from all social classes.
The drink began to inch closer to our idea of hot chocolate when the Aztecs burst onto the scene. Previously, the Maya had served the drink cold, but when the Aztecs began their wars of expansion, they used it as their secret weapon. Conquered lands were forced to pay tribute in cacao beans so enormous farms were built to fuel the Aztec war effort. Their soldiers were given a daily ration of cacao, crushed into a pellet that could easily be converted into a drink to keep the army on the move. The Aztecs were also the first civilisation to serve the drink hot.
Chocolate Arrives in Europe
In 1521, the New World was rocked to its core as the Aztec Empire was destroyed by the invading Spanish. The conquerors came for gold, but instead found cacao. The Aztec's once great infrastructure for growing cacao now fell into Spanish hands and soon 'xocōlātl' or 'chocolate' began to pour into Europe.
The Development of Modern Hot Chocolate
After chocolate landed in Europe, the innovations came at a much faster pace. Chocolate was an acquired taste due to it being extremely bitter, however, that began to change when sugar was added. Sugar was long established as a popular treat among Europe's elite and its marriage to chocolate was inevitable. The new sweetened taste also removed the need for such strong spices as chili.
In the late 1600's milk was used to replace water and finally a drink that we would recognise as hot chocolate was born.
From Drinking Chocolate to Eating Chocolate
In the 1800's, an effort was made to simplify the process of making hot chocolate and create a powdered form for the drink. However, this had a stunning side effect; the process allowed the chocolate to be eaten! This new product was unusual as people were accustomed to chocolate only being a drink, but as time went on, 'eating chocolate' became the dominant form.
A rapid series of discoveries transformed the crude eating chocolate into the luxury item of today; giving chocolate the distinction of being possibly the only luxury product you can eat and drink.