The History of Chocolate Goes Back As Far As 1500BC

Chocolate as we know it today has ancient and mystical roots. Although today, it is commonly found in supermarkets and convenience stores, during its history, it has been a prized and sought after item, known as 'Food of the Gods', at times been a closely guarded secret and the cocoa bean has even been used as a currency.

Ancient civilisations including the Aztec and Maya cultivated the cocoa tree. The tree was found in jungles and rainforests in Central and Southern America. The cocoa tree produces pods which contain the cocoa beans. The beans were made into a drink by the Mayans who added water, spices, and vanilla to the ground beans. The drink was called 'xocolatl' meaning 'bitter water'.

The beans were used by merchants and traded for items including horses, cloth and ceremonial feathers.

Sugar, milk and spices were added to the drink to sweeten the taste. 'Chocolate' became highly popular amongst the Spanish elite but it was still in short supply and they kept quiet about it for over 100 years.

But chocolate was not going to remain a secret. By 1606 it was in Italy after an Italian traveller had seen it in Central America and in 1615 it arrived in France. The French court adored chocolate, praising it and believing it had exceptional qualities including being good for the health.

Chocolate made its way to different areas of Europe and in the 1650s it arrived in England. The then expensive drink was popular amongst the rich and elite and in 1657 a Frenchman opened a hot chocolate shop in London. The result was the first modern chocolate bar.

Fry & Son, along with the Cadbury Brothers, displayed chocolates for eating at an exhibition in Bingley Hall, Birmingham, England in 1849.

Prince Albert's Exposition in London in 1851 was the first time that the public was introduced to bonbons, chocolate creams, and caramels.

John Cadbury was the first to mass-market boxes of chocolate candies. In 1861, his son, Richard Cadbury, created the first known heart-shaped candy box for Valentine's Day.

In 1879, Daniel Peter and Henri Nestl? joined together to form the Nestle Company. Also in that year, Rodolphe Lindt of Berne, Switzerland, produced a more smooth and creamy chocolate that melted on the tongue by invented the "conching" machine.

In 1926, Belgian chocolatier, Joseph Draps started the Godiva Company to compete with Hershey's and Nestle's American market.

Today, the chocolate industry is an ever-growing, $50 billion dollar-a-year worldwide business. This industry is spread across five continents, and is dominated by a small number of sellers. U.S. companies such as Mars and Hershey's alone generate $13 billion a year in chocolate sales and account for two thirds of all U.S. manufacturers. Europe accounts for 45% of the world's chocolate revenue.

French chocolate is one of the most popular types of confection in the world. It is used in many tasty treats such as chocolate mousse and the ever popular chocolate eclair. Chocolate truffles have long been favored for their rich taste and texture and chocolate covered pralines were also made popular by the French. Chocolate was not just considered a confection in France. It was also used for medicinal purposes and reported to be beneficial with health problems.