Chocolate Encounters
Cacao was first encountered by Europeans when they came to Mesoamerican. It was the Spanish and Portuguese who were trying to find a new trade route to the East for spices that were first to experience cacao when they did not find a new route East but instead found a new continent to explore. The discovery of a new continent led to Europeans coming in contact with natives who shared cacao to Europeans. As Europeans continued their exploration of this new world, they established colonies. It was these colonies’ need for supplies from the old world that led to the establishment of the Columbian Exchange. It was the Columbian Exchange that brought cocoa to Europe. The Columbian Exchange was the transfer of people, animals, germs, and plants between West Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
One of the first moments Europeans experienced with cacao was by Christopher Columbus’s son, Ferdinand, who wrote about these almonds that were used as currency. He also talked about a moment in which these so called almonds were dropped and the Native scrabbled to pick them up and thought it was strange that they were so panicked over something like almonds, not really understanding what was so great about them and their value to the natives.
Cacao and chocolate made its way to Europe through the Spaniards by gift of the Mayans in 1544. The Spanish kept cacao and chocolate a secret from the rest of Europe for about 40 years when the first shipment of cacao arrived. It was this shipment of cacao in which more Europeans got to experience cacao that those returning from the new world kept writing about. The first version of cacao that Europeans experienced was the version that was served in Mesoamerican and they loved it. In a sense, the colonized colonized the colonizers taste for chocolate. Europeans returning to the old world from the new world brought chocolate drinks with them and continue to make them the way they were taught in Mesoamerica. Many would think that when cacao made its way to Europe, the Europeans immediately changed the taste to what we know today, to make it fit their taste better but that wasn’t the case. Many enjoyed the way it was served in Mesoamerican and continued to serve it that way in Europe for many years. When the flavor of chocolate did change it wasn’t because they were trying to make it better fit European taste but thought they were replacing new world spices with old world spices that were equivalent to each other.
Many believe that it was European that first added sweeteners to chocolate but this isn’t the case. Mexicans and Mayans were already adding honey to sweeten chocolate drinks long before the Spanish were adding sugar. When the chocolate drink was brought to the old world people that were used to the drink being sweetened turned to sugar as a replacement for honey thinking them as being equivalent to each other. This slight change from honey to sugar is one of the ways chocolate was unintentionally changed by Europeans. Honey wasn’t the only ingredient that was changed, spices such as anise seed, cinnamon, and black pepper were used in substitution of new world spices of chili peppers and ear flower. Europeans didn’t purposely change the taste of chocolate drinks, they liked the way Mesoamericans made the drink. It was these new world spices that were not easily available that caused a change in taste, because they like the taste so much that they decide to substitute new world spices with old world spices as an easier way to get the flavor they loved. Many thought that substituting the spices wouldn’t have a great effect on the taste because they thought the new world spices were equivalent to the old world spices.
Chocolate and cacao were first experienced by Europeans who traveled to the New World. Later cacao and chocolate were brought to Europe via Spain but they kept it a hidden secret for many years before bringing the first shipment of cacao. It was along with this shipment that new world species were introduced to Europeans so they could experience cacao and chocolate the way many wrote about when in Mesoamerica. Many would have expected that Europeans wouldn’t be so accepting of the new drink but they loved it and continue to serve them the Mesoamerican way. Now that chocolate and cacao have made their way to Europe, how will people in Europe continue to consume them as they realize they are adapting habits of people they thought as below them.
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