CHOCOLATE

In 1519, when Hernan Cortes of Spain went to Aztec, Mexico, he was offered a sweet scented drink in a golden goblet. This special drink was offered to honoured guests only. The natives called it chocolate. It was made from the beans of a tree. These beans were considered most precious in Mexico. The tribals believed it was a gift from God.

Though the story is probably apocryphal, there is no doubt that chocolate was a drink worthy of the gods. Its taste and flavour were out of this world. No wonder Carl Linnaeus named this tree as Theobromas Coca (meaning God’s food). Today it is famous worldwide by its nickname coco.

Now back to Mexico…. Cortes took some seeds of the coco plant and planted them in Spain. For about a hundred years, Spain guarded the secret of the coco plant. But with more and more explorers travelling around the world, the word got out and by the 17th century, entire Europe started drinking chocolate. Today Ghana, Brazil and Nigeria are the largest producers of coco.

Strangely, coco itself is bitter! Milk and sugar are added to coco beans to prepare sweet chocolate. Today, chocolate has captured the world market in a big way. Chocolate of different flavours, designs and sizes are available everywhere.

Seema Gupta