It’s Difficult to Imagine a World With no Chocolates!
Chocolate has changed the lives of billions of people since it was first discovered. It comes from the cocoa bean which is over 4000 years old. Ancient cultures worshiped this magical black bean and thought that it was a gift from the heavens. These early cultures made a thick rich drink from the cocoa beans. Some early cultures even used the cocoa bean as a means of currency. There were a lot of things that this bean could buy. Four beans could buy you dinner.
The cocoa bean used in chocolates consumed alone is sour and was pushed aside by early Spanish explorers. They did not realise what they had discovered and brought with them to to their own country.
The Spanish took with them a method for making for this sharp tasting beverage. It was not all that liked until the well known Spanish explorer Cortez decided to mix the sour drink with sugar. Subsequently it grew to be a sensation and only royalty was permitted to consume this fantastic beverage. They included other spices nutmeg and vanilla. They were able to conceal this drink from the entire world for over 100 years! From that time on it quickly travelled around the world. Various cultures began brewing it in alternative ways, fine-tuning it,and including other ingredients. It was over time evolving into the divine sweet candy that we know today.
These days you will come across this delicious dark sweetmeat anywhere the world and it is available in just about every variety conceivable. You will find it in milk, cookies, coffee, sweets, breakfast cereals, chocolate covered fruit, ice-cream and you can even drink chocolate wine! And you can of course purchase chocolate presents !
There is no more welcome present for any sweet lover than a box of chocs . Do you realise what the most popular item is on February 14? Chocolates of course ! More lovers give chocolate gifts on this holiday than anything else. All of us think the way to man’s heart is through his stomach and apparently the way to reach woman’s heart is via a gift of this wondeful sweet treat!
It also makes a wonderful gift on other special days as well. At Easter time countless youngsters will wake up to find it in their Easter baskets. Who knows how many plastic eggs will be hidden away with this most coveted present inside them. On Christmas a certain white-bearded man has been known to stuff stockings full of this dark sweet treat.
It is hard to imagine a world without it!
