The evolution of chocolate from ancient Mesoamerica to modern times

The Fairtrade Foundation certifies chocolate to ensure fair wages and sustainable practices for cacao farmers, addressing exploitation, per Fairtrade’s 2023 report.

Rudolphe Lindt’s conching process, invented in 1879, grinds chocolate for hours to create a smooth, velvety texture, still used today, per Lindt’s history.

Coenraad van Houten’s 1828 hydraulic cocoa press separated cocoa butter, creating cocoa powder and enabling smoother chocolate production, per food history texts.

Daniel Peter, with Henri Nestlé, invented milk chocolate in 1875 by adding condensed milk, making it creamier and more popular, per Nestlé archives.

Joseph Fry & Sons created the first solid chocolate bar in 1847 by blending cocoa powder, sugar, and cocoa butter, revolutionizing chocolate consumption, per BBC.

Christopher Columbus brought cacao beans to Spain in 1502 after his fourth voyage, though it gained popularity later under Cortés, per historical records.

Cacao beans served as currency in Aztec markets, with a turkey costing 100 beans, and were used in elite drinks, per Bernardino de Sahagún’s 16th-century accounts.

The Maya called their chocolate drink 'xocolatl,' meaning 'bitter water,' used in religious and marriage ceremonies, as documented in Maya codices, per academic studies.

In ancient Mesoamerica, chocolate was consumed as a bitter, frothy drink, often spiced with chili or vanilla, used in rituals and as currency, per National Geographic.

The Olmec, in what is now Mexico, cultivated cacao as early as 1900 BCE, using it for beverages, as evidenced by cacao residues in pottery, per Smithsonian research.