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→European Use
The arrival of Spanish conquistadors, specifically Hernando Cortés, brought Europeans not only in contact with chocolate, who initially did not like the taste of the drink as it was bitter, but the conquistadors also imported it back to Europe. Chocolate, at this time, did not include sugar so it was usually quite bitter. European tastes were not as accustomed to bitter tastes for foods, resulting in Europeans looking for ways to modify the taste. By the 1590s, chocolate was now mixed with honey, vanilla, and sugar, giving it a much sweeter taste and it became more favorable. With the conquest of South America and later West Indies, and beginning of the establishment of sugarcane plantations, soon the production of sugar combined with chocolate revolutionized European tastes. Chocolate was still consumed as a drink, where it became associated with upper class tastes and the nobility in general by the early 17th century. Sugar consumption now began to increased in parallel with the importation of chocolate. The desire for chocolate and need for sugar, in part for chocolate, helped also to push the demand for slavery in plantations during the 17th and 18th centuries. Interestingly, some members of the church had initially potentially considered chocolate drinks as sinful, where some even drank it to divert themselves from long services. However, this changed as the elite and noblemen supported its consumption. The 17th century was also a time for experimentation with chocolate, including the first known attempt to coat almonds with chocolate. Nevertheless, chocolate mostly remained a drink.<ref>For more on the early history of chocolate consumption in Europe, see: Grivetti, L., & Shapiro, H.-Y. (Eds.). (2009). <i>Chocolate: history, culture, and heritage.</i> Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.</ref>
By the second half of the 18th century, with the introduction of industrialization in the UK, the first chocolate factories were being created that used hydraulic machinery. In subsequent decades, entrepreneurs began to experiment with different machinery to facilitate the process of separating cacao butter from cacao seeds and making chocolate not only easier but also with new tastes. The 1730s also began to break the Spanish monopoly, mostly in Central and South America, of cacao, where it was soon spread to other parts of the Americas and Africa for production. Gradually, Africa became the leading producer of cacao, but this took some time to develop. In the colonies in the United States in 1765, in the state of Massachusetts, the first chocolate factory was built (Figure 2).<ref>For more on the industrialization of chocolate, see: La Boone, J. A. (2006). <i>Around the world of food: adventures in culinary history.</i> New York: iUniverse, Inc, pg. 83. </ref>
By the 1820, new machines were invented that separated cacao solids and butter. Soon, cacao powder was produced. Chocolate now became more mass produced. The German chocolate manufacturer, still producing chocolates today, also established its first factories and helped to bring chocolate to a larger market, although it was still a product for the upper classes. Finally, in 1848, the realization was made that adding cacao butter, sugar, and cacao liquor allowed the creation of what would be edible, solid chocolate, which proved to be a revolutionizing moment for chocolate consumption that allowed it to become a more diverse food product.<ref>For more on the science of production of chocolate in the early 19th century, see: Beckett, S. T. (2008). The science of chocolate (2nd ed). Cambridge, UK: RSC Publishing, pg. 46.</ref>
