Cadbury Chocolate is a favorite treat for most people. Some people like it neat, others prefer lighter versions with more added sugar. There are many varieties and brands of chocolate. Reference are, for example, Belgian, Swiss and German varieties, but this applies to serial producers. Craft chocolate is made everywhere, and it differs only in the quality of cocoa and various additives. Otherwise, everything is about the same. But let’s see where it takes its roots.
The Origin Of Chocolate
The history of chocolate, not only Cadbury, began with the appearance of cocoa on earth. It grew and grows in a warm climate, at about 40 degrees north and south latitude. This is the coast of Mexico, Central and South America. Now there are cocoa plantations in Africa and on some islands of Asia, but also at the same latitude. This is the so-called “chocolate belt”.
For the first time, a human began to specially cultivate cocoa in what is now Peru. Archaeologists dug up vessels with traces of theobromine inside, which means that cocoa was stored there. Thus, it is believed that it was used as early as the 18th century BC. However, then it was not cocoa beans that were used, but the sweet pulp of the fruit, from which a kind of home brew is still prepared in tropical countries.
It turned out that the Indians in the old days did not roast cocoa beans, but only ground them and brewed them with boiling water. From the history of the origin of chocolate, it is known that the Aztec and Mayan tribes were the first who began to regularly use it in the form of a bitter intoxicating drink. When did liquid chocolate appear? This happened, according to historians, between 400 BC and 400 BC. e. and 100 A.D. e. The Maya Indians considered cocoa sacred and used it in ceremonies dedicated to the gods and in wedding ceremonies.
Of the Europeans, Christopher Columbus was the first to try chocolate in 1502 and even brought the beans home. But then no attention was paid to them because Columbus himself disliked chocolate. The second attempt in 1519 was more successful.
How Did It Appear In Europe?
Why can we enjoy the taste of Cadbury chocolate nowadays? Chocolate came directly to Europe thanks to Hernando Cortes, who found cocoa beans in the treasury of Montezuma II, the last ruler of the Aztecs. Later, the conquistadors found out from the locals a detailed recipe for liquid chocolate and brought it to Spain. This information was first recorded in a book about the New World – the middle of the 16th century. And the enterprising General Hernan Cortes organized supplies from his plantations in the New World.
What Was Next?
In relatively cold Europe, cocoa began to be heated, which also influenced the taste preferences of the Spaniards, Italians and French. Chocolate came to the territory of the German states from Italy. And since 1621, the monopoly on this product has completely ceased to operate – cocoa beans appeared on the wholesale markets of the Netherlands and throughout the continent. At retail, cocoa was sold in pressed slabs, from which the merchant broke off a piece of the desired weight.
It is known from the history of hot chocolate that it was prepared in an elementary way: cocoa was heated in a special vessel, sugar and water were added to it and poured into cups. At the beginning of the 18th century in Great Britain, they tried to use milk instead of water and got a softer and tastier drink than the one that was prepared with water. Following the example of the British, milk was also used in other countries in the preparation of cocoa, and this soon became commonplace.
What About The Modern Look?
As for the history of the creation of chocolate bars (how we consume it today, like Cadbury’s), it dates back to 1828, when the Dutch chemist Conrad van Houten came up with the idea of adding cocoa butter to cocoa powder. And twenty years later, in Germany, they made up the classic recipe for solid chocolate, which is used until now. Cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla are added to grated cocoa. The degree of bitterness of the chocolate depends on the amount of cocoa butter added. With the addition of 30% cocoa butter, milk Cadbury chocolate bars are made, and with higher numbers – bitter.
In general, the invention of chocolate is a vital milestone in the history of confectionery. It marked a new era that brought with it inventions and discoveries in the art of cooking – dishes and recipes that had not been available until that moment.