Cocoa comes from older South American cultures such as the Aztecs and Mayans. Cocoa-based foods have been found dating back thousands of years.
The word “chocolate” comes from two words in Nahuatl: chocolatl, translated to “hot water”, and cacahuatl, which refers to a bitter beverage made using cocoa for religious ceremonies. The cocoa bean was used as currency, as a post-battle reward, and was served at royal feasts.
When the Spanish Conquistadors invaded, the discovered the value of the cocoa crop. They were able to change the drink by adding sugar and spices to make it sweeter. Chocolate soon became extremely popular among the Spanish, and they decided to keep its production method a secret for almost 100 years after.
Once the news of the cocoa crop made it to the rest of Europe, chocolate spread quickly. The chocolate was still only used as a drink, and the upper class called it delicious and healthy, as well as it being an aphrodisiac.
By 1850, solid chocolate was on the market and being dsistributed faster with the introduction of steam-powered machines. After Belgian inventor, Jean Neuhaus II began creating chocolates with fillings, or pralines, the cocoa industry expanded widely all around the world.
Now, after centuries, there are over 4.5 million tons of cocoa beans consumed on an annual basis around the globe.