A brief history of Chocolate

CHOCOLATE. CACAO. XOCOATL. CACAHUATL. CHIKOLA:TL

These are a few of the names believed to be the origin or ancient names for chocolate.

Although aspects of its history are obscure and often debated, the known history of chocolate dates back to some 5000 BC. Its domestication in what is modern-day south-eastern Ecuador by the Mayo-Chinchipe culture is evident as early as 3500 BC. Later introduced to Mesoamerica, it was known and consumed from 1900 BC by the Mokayan people. 

Prepared as a thick drink, chocolate became an important ceremonial and medicinal drink in both Mayan and Aztec cultures. Mayan people used cacao for ceremonies, religious rituals, funerary offerings, feasts and weddings. This can lead to believe that in the Mayan culture chocolate was on occasion consumed by the common people. Cacao beans were more precious than gold and a praised currency.

 It is believed that solely women were in charge of preparing the drink, when possibly only adult men were allowed to consume it.

The Aztec had a more esoteric and austere concept. To them, chocolate was of absolute divinity but also carried its own warning to not over-consume it, for it could lead people towards decadence and weakening, and therefore they reserved the use of cacao for the higher members of society such as royalties, revered clerics and specific religious occasions. They also strongly associated chocolate with blood, the cacao bean representing the heart, and routinely colored the chocolate drink red to symbolize it.

 Both cultures considered chocolate to be a gift from the gods and in that sense they were not the last to do so as even Spanish had a concept of that and now days chocolate is often referred to as such.

In the form used by the Mesoamericans, chocolate was a rather bitter frothy drink that could be flavored with spices, ground chilis, fat and vanilla. The drink was obtained from fermented, dried and roasted cacao beans that were then shelled and pounded to a paste which was then dried and use as needed by grinding it into a powder ready for the chocolate drink.

That way of processing chocolate roughly stayed the same and was imported to Europe with the beans. European's contribution to the technique of chocolate processing until the 19th century is mostly to have made it a sweet drink.

The conquistador Hernan Cortes and the Italian conqueror Cristoforo Colombo ( Christopher Columbus) are sometimes both credited for bringing chocolate back to Spain but better documented evidence shows that it was instead introduced to the Spanish court by Q'eqchi' Mayan nobles brought to Spain by Dominican friars. By 1525 AD, Spain had already established control over the production of chocolate in Mexico, using a force labor system comparable to slavery.

When chocolate was brought to Europe, it quickly spread through the diverse courts and then started Europe's love affair with chocolate. It only became bigger with time and is still going strong today. Historical chocolate was believed to be a medicinal and aphrodisiac drink but nobles and those who could afford its high price also quickly discovered that the drink, when sweetened, was rather pleasant and invigorating. From the South to the North, and the West to the East, Europe fell in love with chocolate. Over time chocolate also became a more common thing to consume and if at first only the rich could afford it, by the end of the 19th century, chocolate was not of regular consumption but was not rare even amongst people of small means. you could purchase chocolate at a reasonable price. 

It is not until the late 19th century that we started to see solid blocks of somewhat creamy chocolate that can be consumed as such but it is really the invention of the Conch by Rodolphe Lindt in 1879 that changed forever the standards of what is good chocolate. A conch will agitate and grind the chocolate mass mixed with cacao butter for days, hence improving the taste and smoothness of the paste. It is because chocolate goes through a conching process that we have smooth chocolate that melts like velvet under our tongues.

Chocolate coverture and white chocolate were introduced in the first half of the 20th century.

Even though we live in a world that condemns forced labor or any kind of slavery, the reality of much of the chocolate produced in the world today is that forced labor and slavery are still very prominent in this industry and it goes along with the incredible demand for inexpensive chocolate as this sweet treat has become an absolute favorite amongst many cultures and places. Intense competition and increased demand led to abuses both of human kind and production kind. Diseases and pests amongst antiquated monoculture plantations have also done some ravage in western Africa and other mass-producing areas. 

 But since the late 20th century we have seen the birth of a different way to produce, trade, and consume chocolate. From the 1980"s single-origin chocolates to the Fairtrade, sustainable biodiverse agriculture and trade, we are going towards better days for chocolate. But as consumers, we have to accept that to have a sustainable fair industry, the price of chocolate can never be as low as it has been until now. We are trading quantity for quality and fairness and that is worth it in this chocolatier's opinion.

At La Gourmande we only use certified fairtrade, certified organic, sustainably grown chocolate .

No human rights were violated to produce and trade this chocolate.

"At la Gourmande, we make high-quality, delicious treats that also support your mental and physical comfort. We aim to foster fair-trade, sustainable business practices and we favor our local economy whenever possible. We acknowledge that La Gourmande operates on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of the Kwikwetlem, Matsqui, Sto:lo and Kwantlen first nations. We honor them as they continue to live and care for these lands and waters.  Proudly located in Port Coquitlam.