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 it was a godsend. These early cultures made a rich, thick drink from cocoa beans. Some early cultures even used the cocoa bean as currency. There were many things that this bean could buy. Four beans could buy you dinner.
The cocoa bean that is consumed alone is bitter and, in fact, was set aside by the first Spanish conquerors. They had no idea what they had discovered and brought back with them to their countries.
The Spanish brought with them a method of making this bitter drink. It was not so popular until the well-known Spanish explorer Cortés decided to mix the bitter drink with sugar. Later it became a sensation and only royalty could drink this wonderful drink. Other spices included nutmeg and vanilla. They managed to hide this drink from the world for more than 100 years! From that moment he traveled rapidly around the planet. Various cultures began to make it in various ways, changing it and incorporating other ingredients. It gradually evolved into the delicious sweet treat we know in modern times.
Today, you can find this delicious dark candy all over the world and it’s available in just about any variety imaginable. You’ll find chocolate in milk, cookies, coffee, candy, cereal, chocolate-covered fruit, ice cream, and you can even drink chocolate wine. And of course you can buy chocolate gifts!
You won’t find a better deal for any sweet lover than a box of chocolates. Do you realize what the best-selling item is on Valentine’s Day? chocolates! More people exchange chocolate gifts on this day than any other type of gift. We all know that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and apparently the way to a woman’s heart is through the gift of this beautiful candy!
It is also a fantastic gift on other special occasions. At Easter Several million young people will look up excitedly to see if they have been visited by the Easter bunny. Who knows how many plastic eggs will be hiding with this much-coveted treat inside. At Christmas, a certain white-bearded man is known to fill Christmas stockings to the brim with this dark candy.
