History of chocolate
Source: adminRelease time:2020-08-18 01:48
Chocolate (also translated as chocolate), originated in central and South America, its ancestor is "Xocolatl", meaning "bitter water". The main raw material of cocoa bean is produced in the narrow zone within 18 degrees of the equator. When making drinks, it is often called "hot chocolate" or cocoa.
Chocolate originated from cocoa beans, the fruit of wild cocoa trees in tropical rainforests of Central America. More than 1300 years ago, the yaktan Mayan Indians made a drink from roasted cocoa beans called chocolate. Chocolate was a kind of greasy drink in the early days. Because the fried cocoa beans contained more than 50% fat, people began to add flour and other starch substances to the beverage to reduce its greasiness.
Spanish explorer Fernando Cortes discovered in Mexico in the early 16th century that the local Aztec King drank a drink made of cocoa beans, water and spices. After tasting it, Cortes brought it back to Spain in 1528 and planted cocoa trees on a small island in West Africa.
The Spanish ground cocoa beans into powder, adding water and sugar to it. After heating, the beverage is called "chocolate", which is very popular with the public. Soon the method of making it was learned by the Italians and soon spread throughout Europe.
In 1642, chocolate was introduced into France as a medicine and eaten by Catholics.
In 1765, chocolate entered the United States and was praised by Benjamin Franklin as "a healthy and nutritious dessert".
In 1828, van Houten of the Netherlands made a cocoa press to press the remaining powder out of the cocoa solution. The world's first chocolate was born when the cocoa butter squeezed by van Houten was mixed with crushed cocoa beans and sugar. After fermentation, drying and baking, cocoa beans are processed into cocoa liquid blocks, cocoa butter and cocoa powder, which will produce a strong and unique flavor. This natural aroma is the theme of chocolate.
In 1847, cocoa butter was added to chocolate drinks to make what is now known as chewable chocolate blocks.
In 1875, Switzerland invented the method of making milk chocolate, and thus had the chocolate seen.
In 1914, World War I stimulated the production of chocolate, which was transported to the battlefield and distributed to soldiers.
Chocolate is made of many kinds of raw materials, but its flavor mainly depends on the taste of cocoa itself. Cocoa contains theobromine and caffeine, which brings pleasant bitterness; the tannins in cocoa have a light astringent taste, and cocoa butter can produce a plump and smooth taste. Cocoa is bitter, astringent, sour, and smooth in cocoa butter. With the aid of sugar or milk powder, milk fat, malt, lecithin, vanillin and other auxiliary materials, and through exquisite processing technology, chocolate not only maintains the unique taste of cocoa, but also makes it more harmonious, pleasant and delicious.
