| The story begins some two millennia ago
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| | spread like wildfire among the French
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| in the tropical rainforests of the
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| | aristocracy.The English were introduced
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| Americas. Although the cacao tree had
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| | to the cacao bean through British pirates
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| been around for some time, the natives
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| | who targeted Spanish ships in the last
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| had never used the beans inside the pods
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| | half of the 1500s. They saw no use for
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| for food. Upon discovering that the
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| | the odd looking cargo and even burned
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| seeds could be processed and used as a
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| | several shipments before someone found
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| drink, it quickly caught on with these
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| | out what the beans were good for making.
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| primitive people. The first people known
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| | It took about a hundred years for the
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| to make chocolate from the cacao beans
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| | chocolate to start making its mark in
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| were the ancient cultures of Central
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| | British history. Once it did though, it
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| America and Mexico. They would grind the
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| | was not just reserved for the
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| beans and mix them with different
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| | aristocracy. Anyone in England who could
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| seasonings and spices and then whip the
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| | afford it was able to indulge. While it
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| beverage by hand until it was both frothy
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| | was more expensive than coffee, it was
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| and spicy.The Olmec Indians are believed
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| | less costly that tea. "Chocolate houses"
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| to be the first culture to grow the beans
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| | began to sprout up, with the first one
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| as a domestic crop, between 1500 and 400
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| | being opened by a Frenchman in 1657. At
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| B.C. From 250 to 900 C.E., the
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| | that time, chocolate was 10 to 15
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| consumption of the beans was restricted
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| | shillings per pound. So it was rather
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| to the elite class of the Mayan culture.
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| | costly.During the 16th and 17th
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| Throughout these years, the drink was
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| | centuries, the demand for chocolate grew
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| consumed unsweetened. Apparently the
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| | so large that the cacao plantations had
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| Mayan people valued the beans so highly
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| | enslaved Mesoamericans to plant, grow,
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| that they planted them in their personal
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| | harvest and process the cocoa beans. By
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| gardens so that they had easy access to
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| | the end of the 17th century, only ten
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| them.Around 600 A.D., the Mayans migrated
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| | percent of the Native Indian population
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| into the northern regions of South
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| | survived. It was then that slaves were
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| America and began the earliest recorded
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| | transported from Africa to Ecuador,
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| plantations of cacao trees in the
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| | Venezuela, Paraguay and Brazil. For over
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| Yucatan. They used the beverage that
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| | two centuries, enslaved people and wage
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| they made in betrothal and marriage
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| | laborers were used to meet the demand for
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| ceremonies.Once the Aztec culture was
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| | the all-enticing cocoa.Around 1730, the
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| able to abscond with some of the beans
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| | price of cocoa has dropped to around $3
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| and learn how to make the beverage from
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| | per pound. This made it more affordable
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| them, they used them for medicinal
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| | to others besides the very wealthy. In
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| purposes and in ceremonies such as
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| | 1732, a French inventor developed a table
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| weddings and religious rites. They
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| | mill for grinding the chocolate. This
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| believed that the beans were a gift from
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| | simplified the process and made it
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| their gods. They are also the first
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| | possible to churn out larger quantities
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| known culture to tax the beans. Their
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| | at lower cost. So production naturally
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| name for the beverage that they made was
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| | grew.In 1765, Irish chocolate maker John
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| "xocalatl", translated to warm or bitter
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| | Hanan imported cocoa beans from the West
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| drink. The beans also began, at that
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| | Indies to Massachusetts in the American
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| time, to be used as currency by the
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| | colonies. He teamed up with Dr. James
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| Mesoamerican cultures. They were not
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| | Baker. They built the first chocolate
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| used to make chocolate until they were
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| | mill in the Colonies and by 1780, that
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| too worn to be used as currency.The first
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| | mill was producing the famous Baker's
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| European to learn of chocolate was
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| | chocolate which is still widely used
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| Christopher Columbus. He encountered a
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| | today.Another revolution in production
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| huge Mayan trading canoe piled high with
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| | occurred in 1795 when Dr. Joseph Fry of
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| the valuable beans. When the Spaniards
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| | Bristol, England used a steam engine to
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| invaded the Yucatan in 1517 and Mexico in
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| | power the grinding wheel used to make
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| 1519, they quickly caught on to the
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| | chocolate. This catapulted the
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| monetary value of the precious beans.
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| | manufacturing process forward
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| They were not fond, however, of the warm,
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| | tremendously.The man who is considered
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| bitter and unsweetened drink which they
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| | the pioneer of Swiss chocolate making,
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| received from the local people. It took
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| | Francois Callier, opened the first Swiss
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| some time, but they learned to adapt
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| | chocolate factory in 1819. And in 1828,
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| their taste buds to the drink and began
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| | a Dutchman named Conrad Van Houton
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| to enjoy it.The most popular story of the
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| | invented the cocoa press. His invention
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| introduction of chocolate to Europe is
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| | helped more with cutting the price of
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| that which credits Dominican friars with
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| | chocolate and by improving the quality of
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| taking a delegation of Mayan nobles to
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| | it by squeezing out cocoa butter thus
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| the court of Prince Philip of Spain. As
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| | making the consistency of the beverage
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| one of the many gifts which the nobles
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| | smoother. Mr. Van Houton patented his
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| presented to the Prince, they gave him
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| | invention in Amsterdam and his process
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| several jars of already processed cocoa
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| | became known as "Dutching".In 1847,
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| which was ready to drink. The Spaniards
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| | another innovation was made by Joseph Fry
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| did not, however, share this much loved
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| | & Son when they discovered a way to add
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| beverage with the rest of Europe for
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| | some of the cocoa butter back to the
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| nearly a century!Sometime during the 16th
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| | Dutch chocolate, add sugar and make a
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| century, the Spanish people began adding
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| | paste which could be molded into a bar
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| flavoring like vanilla and sugar cane to
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| | and...Voila! the modern chocolate bar
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| the chocolate drinks. Thus, sweetened
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| | was born. Dr. Fry and his son teamed up
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| chocolate was invented. And recorded
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| | with the Cadbury Brothers to display
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| history shows that the popularity of the
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| | chocolates for eating at an exhibition in
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| beverage grew to the point that regular
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| | Birmingham, England in 1849. In 1851
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| shipments began from Veracruz, Mexico to
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| | Americans got their first taste of
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| Seville, Spain in 1582.The records are
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| | bonbons, chocolate creams, caramels and
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| not completely clear on how chocolate was
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| | "boiled sweets" (hard candies) at Prince
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| introduced to the rest of Europe. It's
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| | Albert's Exposition in London.In 1861
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| thought that quite possibly it was
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| | Richard Cadbury created the very first
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| distributed through monasteries and
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| | known heart shaped box for Valentine's
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| convents which were linked with Latin
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| | Day and seven years later in 1868, John
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| America. Jesuit Society members were
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| | Cadbury mass produced and marketed the
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| major consumers of the drink and had
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| | first boxes of chocolate candy. In 1876
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| become cocoa traders as well. A French
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| | Daniel Peter, of Switzerland, introduced
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| Cardinal popularized the beverage in
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| | milk chocolate for drinking - a project
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| France and when Louis XIV married Maria
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| | that he worked on for eight years before
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| Theresa of Spain in 1615 she, chocolate
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| | he perfected it.
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| lover that she was, began a custom that
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