The history of chocolates

Spanish explorers realized the financial value of chocolate, or cacao, trade. Hernan Cortes, one of the missionaries, brought it to Europe in the 16^th century and drinking cacao gradually became a habit all over the continent. It reached Britain later in the middle the 17^th century. The turning point for the spread of chocolate industry was in 1847 when the British Joseph Fry and his son discovered a way to mix cacao powder with sugar and pressure the mix to make out of it the solid chocolate bars that we know today.

Cadbury, which was and still the pioneer in the industry, was the first market leader to put chocolate in boxes and sell it in packages the way we usually see today. A few years later, Nestle followed Cadbury in packaging and wrapping chocolate and invited a new line in the industry; milk chocolate. After a couple of years, the Swiss inventor Rodolphe Lindt added cacao butter to chocolate as an essential ingredient which gave it the amazing feature of saving the shape before consuming and melting in the mouth.

There are many stories and fancies about chocolate with no real evidence or reliable source but they are still interesting and widely known. Napoleon used to depend on it during his campaigns and battles as a main source of power as well as Casanova as a source of positive hormones and a good mood.

Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, and Indonesia are considered the most important exporters of cocoa, the main ingredient of chocolate these days. However the citizens of these counties might not be the most consumers of the product since they consider it as a source of financial profit, more than a source energy or a daily food.