Chocolate History - Part III

By: Michael Russell
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:17:40
Print this article | Tell a friend | For publisher | Social Bookmarking
Rating:
 

In this third part of our multi part series on chocolate, we're going to pick up our discussion continuing with the Industrial Revolution.

When the Industrial Revolution hit, so did the mass production of chocolate, which spread its popularity among the more common folks of the world as up until that point chocolate was mostly for the elite and very wealthy.

The first improvements to chocolate came with the Spaniards who liked the nourishment value of chocolate but felt that the taste itself could be improved on. Early chocolate was not like the chocolate we know today, sweet and tasty. It actually had a very bitter taste which was more an acquired one. The Spaniards improved on this by adding sugar, vanilla and other extracts. With the new form and taste, chocolate houses began to pop up in England to go along with their already established coffee houses.

The United States’ first exposure to raw chocolate itself was in 1765 when John Hanan brought cocoa beans from the West Indies into Dorchester, Massachusetts, and refined them with the help of Dr. James Baker. The first chocolate factory in the country was set up there.

And yet, in spite of this, chocolate wasn't really accepted by the American colonists until fishermen from Gloucester, Massachusetts began to accept cocoa beans as payment for transporting various cargoes from tropical America.

It wasn't until 1851, however, that the United States experienced its first tastes of bonbons, chocolate creams, hand candies (called "boiled sweets"), and caramels, thanks to Prince Albert of London. By 1891 chocolate was considered as much a part of our culture as tobacco, which was written about in an 1891 publication by Walter Baker.

Up until this time, chocolate was mostly considered as a beverage only and was rarely consumed in solid form and it was usually drunk only by men. Gradually it became an appropriate drink for children. It also had many different variations being added to milk, wine and beer. Eventually, drinking chocolate became a very sociable event.

It wasn't until 1847 that the first chocolate bar for eating was made. It was manufactured by a company by the name of Fry and Sons and went under the name "Chocolat Delicieux a Manger."

Nestl?, one of the largest chocolate manufacturers today, points out that the four factors most responsible for chocolate's rise during the 1800s was the introduction of cocoa powder in 1828, the lowering of import taxes on cocoa, improvements in transportation from plantation to factory and finally the invention of the chocolate bar.

The invention of the cocoa press in 1828 by C.J. Van Houten helped to greatly reduce the price of chocolate and bring it to the common folk. During this time was the creation of what we know today as Dutch chocolate, which was made by squeezing out cocoa butter from the cocoa beans.

Over the next 100 years many more improvements were made to chocolate. By the 1990s chocolate had become one of the most popular products in the world, with consumption of around 600,000 tons a year. Chocolate has become as big a part of world culture as anything that has come before it and most likely will come after it.


-------------------------------------------------------
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Chocolates
-------------------------------------------------------

Article source: Expert Articles

Most Recent Articles in Chocolate category

  • Indulge in Gourmet Chocolates - By: Crizza Reyes
    Chocolate is the voice of passion and love, whether it is the love of chocolate itself or as an expression of love for another human being. The way its texture feels in your mouth as it melts is very satisfying and its richness takes this pleasure to a whole new level.
  • Cocoa Beans and the Fierce Competition in the Chocolate Industry - By: Cristian Stan
    Chocolates are always referred to as feel-good foods. They are the simple luxuries of life. However, making chocolates is never simple - especially not with the fierce competition perceived in the chocolate industry these days.
  • Celebrate with custom chocolate coins - By: Ajay Shringi
    Chocolate - ah, the rich, seductive swirl of thick, creamy chocolate melting at the tip of your tongue sends all your senses into a tizzy of pleasure. Every time you bite into a piece of chocolate, whether it is white, brown or even bitter chocolate, you cannot help but heave a sigh of pure, undiluted pleasure. This is the reason why more and more people are celebrating with chocolate favors.
  • Custom chocolate cigars make the perfect gift - By: Ajay Shringi
    This year, why not floor your competition with a gift that they will never forget? Delicious, personalized chocolate cigars carrying a heartfelt personal message will leave an impression that won't go away in a hurry.
  • Cocoa Commodity Prices are affected by the US Economy - By: Cristian Stan
    With the recent slump in the U.S. economy, cocoa manufacturers have experienced a downfall in their commodity pricing. The U.S. is one of the biggest consumers of cocoa, as it is the main ingredient of chocolate and chocolate drinks. The slowdown in the U.S. economy had triggered a not-so good effect in the cocoa industry all over the world.
  • Cocoa Beans are the Super Food of the Future - By: Cristian Stan
    Super foods are defined as food items that can ward off diseases like cancer, heart ailments, cholesterol, and a whole list of others. These foods have high phytonutrient content that can only be good for your health. Any food containing significant amounts of vitamins, antioxidants, dietary fibers, minerals, and enzymes can be regarded as a super food.
  • Services provided with chocolate fountain - By: Awais Ashraf
    Since previous twenty years one of the most remarkable unmatched and fun inclusions to weddings, birthday parties and other occasions is chocolate fountain. A chocolate fountain has turned into one of the most preferable and ideal appendage for parties having a factor of joy and amazement for the crowd.
  • Hand Made Chocolates and Flowers - By: Timothy Spencer
    A bouquet of flowers always comes best with a box of chocolates. However, there are no more special than hand-made Belgian chocolates with that bunch of fresh flowers. This article explains how a box of Belgian hand-made chocolates is the best from other kinds of chocolates you can find from the nearest supermarket.
  • Sweeten Your Wedding Day - By: Promila Saini
    Traditionally, wedding days are filled with flowers and laces, yes, that could still work but where's the uniqueness and "one of a kind" concept that you are looking for? Instead of settling to the use of flowers and laces, why not try chocolates and sweets?
  • Chocolate T-shirts and Gifts: Show Your Love - By: Ruth Lanham
    One of those things that you love that you can express with a t-shirt is chocolate. It's not secret that many people love chocolate and feel like they can't live without. Chocolate is a food that people have been obsessed about for a long time and have no problem telling others how much they love it.