By: Hannah Lawson and Suzanne McQuilkin

Cocoa Bean Terminology Chocolate terminology can be a little confusing. Mostly experts use the term "cacao" to refer to the plant or its beans before they are processed. “Chocolate” refers to anything made from the beans. "Cocoa" generally refers to chocolate in a powdered form. The Latin name for the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods.“ ( history-of-chocolate.html#ixzz1jYgstpzI) history-of-chocolate.html#ixzz1jYgstpzI

Cocoa Bean Basics The cocoa bean is grown from a cacao tree. Chocolate is made by grinding the kernels of cocoa beans to a paste called chocolate liquor. This is hardened in molds to make chocolate. Cooking chocolate is bitter. Eating chocolate has sugar and often milk added. Cocoa powder is made by squeezing the cocoa butter (fat) from chocolate liquor and then pulverizing it. Belgian chocolates are renowned for their fine quality. Many Belgian chocolate makers like to keep their recipes secret so they can’t be copied. (

A Cacao Plant This is a cacao plant.

Cocoa Bean This is a picture of a raw cocoa bean.

Cocoa Bean Beginnings The history of treats has a record of at least 4,000 years, when Egyptians recorded their recipes for treats on papyrus. Sugary treats were being sold in their marketplaces as far back as 1566 B.C., sweetened with date sugar or honey. Yet chocolate didn’t appear on the scene until the ancient Aztec and Maya cultures discovered the value of the cacao plant. It is thought to have originated in the Amazon or Orinoco basin. (

Aztecs and Mayans Cocoa beans played a special role in both Maya and Aztec royal and religious events. Priests presented cacao seeds as offerings to the gods and served chocolate drinks during sacred ceremonies. Cocoa beans were also a form of Aztec money. All of the areas that were conquered by the Aztecs that grew cacao beans were ordered to pay them as a tax, or as the Aztecs called it, a “tribute.” ( _of_chocolate) ( _of_chocolate

When did cocoa beans migrate? Christopher Columbus landed in Nicaragua in 1502 and was the first European to see cocoa beans being used as currency. He brought cocoa beans back to the Spanish royals, Ferdinand and Isabella. When Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez reached the court of Montezuma (Aztec ruler of Mexico in 1519), he was served a bitter drink called xocolatl (pronounced shuck-O-lahtl). In 1528 Cortez presented King Charles V, the King of Spain, with cocoa beans and the tools for its preparation. Cortez later had a major idea. He predicted that if the bitter beverage were blended with sugar, it would become very popular. The Spaniards mixed the cocoa beans with sugar, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, allspice and cinnamon. The resulting was a very delicious beverage! But only the Spanish royalty knew about it. Chocolate was a secret that Spain managed to keep from the rest of the world for almost 100 years. (

Timeline of Chocolate In 1528, Cortez presented cocoa beans to the Spanish king, Charles the 5 th. Cortez invented a bitter chocolate drink; later on he decided that if he added sugar it would become a delicacy. The Spaniards added vanilla, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. In 1585, the first shipment of cocoa beans made it to Spain. In 1615, the daughter of Philip the 3 rd from Spain, introduced the drink to her husband, Louis the 13 th, and his French court. In 1650, the chocolate craze which now included candy took hold in Paris and then spread throughout France. In 1657, the first chocolate house opened in London advertising “this excellent West India drink.” In 1689, physician and collector, Hans Sloane, developed a milk chocolate drink in Jamaica. It was initially used by apothecaries (soft of like Pharmacists), but later sold to the Cadbury brothers. Soon after London chocolate houses became trendy meeting places. London society savored the luxury chocolate drink. In 1755, chocolate makes its appearance in the United States. Ten years later the first chocolate factory in the USA was built. The production of chocolate in the U.S. proceeded at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. ( (

Timeline of Chocolate (cont.) In 1828, a Dutch chemist discovered how to make powdered chocolate and chocolate liquor. This became known as "Dutch cocoa," and it led to the creation of solid chocolate. In 1847, the first modern chocolate bar was created by Joseph Fry. He used Dutch cocoa and melted cacao butter to make a moldable chocolate paste. By 1868, Cadbury Company was selling boxes of chocolate candies in England. And a few years later, the Nestle Company introduced milk chocolate. In the United States, chocolate was very valuable during the Revolutionary War. It was included in soldiers' rations and sometimes they were even paid in chocolate. As you can see, the cacao bean is a powerful economic force. Chocolate manufacturing is a more than four billion dollar industry just in the United States. On average an American eats at least half a pound of chocolate per month! ( chocolate.html?c=y&page=2) chocolate.html?c=y&page=2

Interesting Facts Cocoa beans are the fruit of the cacao tree. Cocoa beans are called cocoa beans and not cacao beans due to a spelling mistake made by English importers in the 18th century when chocolate first became popular. Cocoa beans are the seeds inside melon-shaped pods about 30 cm long. Cacao trees came originally from Central America. Now they are grown in the West Indies and West Africa too. ‘Cacao’ is a Mayan word for ‘bitter juice’; the word ‘chocolate’ comes from the Mayan for ‘sour water’. ( There is a chemical in chocolate called theobromine, which is similar to caffeine. Theobromine is toxic to a dog when it ingests between 100 and 150 milligrams per kilogram of its body weight, so keep your dog away from the chocolate! ( caffeinehttp://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/question348.htm

Where are cacao trees most commonly found today? The cacao tree is cultivated in a variety of countries, but today the most common places to find cacao trees are in Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Cameroon, Ecuador, Dominican Republic and Papua New Guinea. Other common countries that grow cacao plants are Madagascar, Malaysia, Mexico, some Caribbean islands like Grenada,and Cuba, and some Pacific islands like Samoa. (

Xocolatl (shuck-O-lahtl) This is the drink that Hernando Cortez was served by Montezuma (Aztec emperor).

What’s Your Favorite?

Chocolate Art

Bibliography history-of-chocolate.html#ixzz1jYgstpzI history-of-chocolate.html#ixzz1jYgstpzI history-of-chocolate.html?c=y&page=2 history-of-chocolate.html?c=y&page=