Discovering Chocolate

Chocolate was previously considered a “delectable symbol of luxury, wealth, and power” (Klein) in the 1500s. Using modern technology, it is now easily produced. While

If the company we outsource with has some sort of issue with its equipment or is running behind schedule it will delay our orders and reflect poorly upon our company. If we choose not to do anything we will continue running at inefficient levels costing us more and more money as time goes on.

While Europe and the United States account for most chocolate consumption, the confection is growing in popularity in Asia and market forecasts are optimistic about the prospects in China and India (Nieburg, 2013, para 9). According to the CNN Freedom Project, the chocolate industry rakes in $83 billion a year, surpassing the Gross Domestic Product of over a hundred nations (“Who consumes the most chocolate,” 2012, para 3).

(Transition: The history of Hershey’s chocolate laid the foundation for the many different types of chocolate eaten today.

Historians don’t even know who first discovered the almost magical seeds inside a cacao fruit. In 400 B.C. Indians found the seeds and then turned it into a drink. Mayan Indians were drinking a chocolate beverage, cacao powder mixed with water and spices. The drink spread from them to Europe then the

The Mayans worshipped god the cacao and felt chocolate was for rulers, warriors, priests, and noblemen at sacred ceremonies. During the 14th century the Aztecs cravings for cacao; the Aztecs would trade the Mayans chocolate to the point it

No wonder it was an immediate sensation” (“Milton S. Hershey,” n.d.). His chocolate was and will always be a huge hit.

One year while attending the World’s Colombian Exposition in Chicago, Milton was so impressed with the manufacturing of chocolate that when he arrived home he began to find ways to tweak the formula. His first experiment was to put the chocolate over the top of his caramel candies. As time went on, Milton’s fascination began to shift more towards processing milk chocolate in bars, wafers and other forms of delicacies. This discovery eventually led him to sell the

Alfred Haigh’s, the pioneer of Haigh’s Chocolate, gave the world a taste that is unforgettable in the field of confectionary. On 1st May, 1915 Haigh’s Chocolate open its first store at 34 King William Street, Adelaide. Sadly, he

Studies at Harvard University have shown that cocoa's largest chocolate component has several health benefits, researchers found that the fruit contains a powerful antioxidant known as flavonoid, can prevent future health problems like cholesterol, heart problems and without speaking that for us women prevents various crises in the famous week of premenstrual tension.

Allison, M. (2013). Fair-trade theo chocolate fairly booming. The Seattle Times, par. 4. Retrieved from http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020664110_theochocolatexml.html(2013). Fair-trade theo chocolate fairly booming. The Seattle Times, par.25. Retrieved from http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2020664110_theochocolatexml.htmlBrake, L. (2011). Theo chocolate - the ultimate in green chocolate. Earth Times, par. 2. Retrieved from http://www.earthtimes.org/green-

The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao L.) is native to the northwest Amazon basin of South America and the wild species was spread by humans into Southern Mexico and Central America, where it is thought to have been domesticated (Ogata et al. 2006). The data collected by Ogata et al. (2006) supports Mesoamerica as a center of cacao domestication, but also suggests a possible secondary area of domestication in South America. At first, only the cacao pulp was used for its sweet flavour, yet it wasn’t until 1800 BC that the inhabitants of this region discovered how to turn the cacao seeds into chocolate through a process of drying, roasting, and grinding the cacao seeds (Coe and Coe 1996). By the time the Olmec civilization

How did these ancient civilizations discover the cacao bean and turn it into an edible and enjoyable state? If chocolate is traced all the way back to where it is grown, we find that these beans are actually harvested from trees. This tree is known as the Theobroma Cacao or simply a cacao tree, a small tropical tree that typically grows under the canopy of much larger trees. In order to prosper it needs to be grown in a hot and humid environment. This tree originated in Central and South America, but today 70% of chocolate and cacao beans are harvested from Africa.

The early civilizations of the Americas passed their knowledge of chocolate from generation to generation. As these generations passed, the Age of Exploration began, and the knowledge was then tossed across the Atlantic Ocean (Lippi 1575). The recipe of chocolate has changed during its voyage; however, many of its medicinal properties were studied, expanded, or even proved wrong (Norton 16). Some researchers found chocolate to inhibit digestion, while others agreed with its original use accounts (Dillinger et al. 2064S, 2069S). European studies, overall, were found to be in agreement with the early use of chocolate to disguise the flavor of other prescriptions and in its treatment of the common cold (Dillinger et al. 2065S, 2069S).

New evidence is in that eating dark chocolate every day can reduce stress. The study, found that people who rated themselves highly stressed to begin with had lower levels of stress hormones after eating chocolate every day for two weeks. The study's subjects ate 1.4 ounces (40 g) of dark chocolate daily, or a little less than a regular-sized Hershey's bar, which contains 1.55 ounces (44 g). The study adds to a growing body of research showing that certain elements in chocolate — such as antioxidants called polyphenols — can have helpful health benefits. Previous studies found chocolate can help fight heart disease and reduce the chances of developing cancer.