How Did Chocolate Become Popular

Chocolate is derived from the New World cacao plant. Since the discovery of the New World, the popularity of chocolate has substantially grown. However, the history of chocolate and its consumption go back much further to about four thousand years ago. The forms chocolate has been found in has more recently greatly varied but it has always played an important role to tribes and complex societies. From a ritual product to more every day use, chocolate has greatly also had an impact on the development of the New World in the eyes of European explorers.

Early History

The earliest evidence of the use of the cacao plant for chocolate derive from the Olmec cultures that populated southern Mexico. While no direct evidence exists, such as written records, trace chemicals that include theobromine indicate that some ceramic vessels were used in the preparation or direct consumption of chocolate-derived products. Most likely, this early chocolate was roasted and fermented, where cacao seeds would have been first pulverized and grounded. In fact, for much of chocolate's history, it has been drunk rather than consumed as a solid and often it was an alcoholic beverage.