Chocolate - the beginning

Mixing the bitter delicacy with milk shot it up the popularity ladder

Chocolate was the favorite drink of the Mayans, the Aztecs and other peoples in Central America long before the Spanish "discovered" it and brought it to Europe. Archaeological findings show that chocolate was consumed already at least 3,100 years ago, and not only as food for humans: the Mayans and members of other pre-Columbian cultures made offerings of cocoa beans to the gods in all kinds of rituals, including human sacrifices.

But the person who came up with the most important idea in the history of chocolate was an Irish Protestant. Hans Sloane was a physician and naturalist, whose legacy, an extensive collection of books and animal specimens, served as the basis for the establishment of the British Museum. In the 80s, Sloan worked in the service of the British governor of Jamaica collecting handicrafts and documenting local plants and animals. Sloan insisted that the bitter cocoa drink that the locals drink would be much more palatable if he mixed it with milk, and patented his invention. Although many people enjoyed a cocoa drink in hot water, Sloane's recipe soon became a favorite in England and elsewhere in Europe. Milk was also a common addition to solid chocolate, and today about two-thirds of Americans claim that they prefer milk chocolate to dark chocolate.

The beautiful health effects of chocolate are already well known and well documented. About 8% of the dry weight of the cocoa beans contain antioxidants such as polyphenols and flavonoids, says Joe Vinson, a chemist from the University of Scranton. The antioxidants neutralize the free radicals, which are very active molecules, and prevent them from damaging the body's cells. It is no coincidence that the cocoa tree (and other plants rich in antioxidants such as tea and coffee) grows in tropical regions. "Plants that contain a lot of antioxidants usually grow close to the equator, where they absorb a lot of sun," Vinson says. The sun's ultraviolet radiation breaks down biological molecules into free radicals, and these plants probably produce the antioxidants to better withstand this.

Eating too much chocolate can indeed lead to excessive consumption of calories, but studies in humans and animals show that moderate consumption of chocolate can have a positive effect on blood pressure, slow down the spread of arteriosclerosis and reduce the accumulation of "bad" cholesterol. Chocolate may also be good for mental ability: in a recent study in Norway, they found that older men who consume chocolate, wine or tea (all of which are rich in flavonoids) did better in cognitive tests.

David Castelvecchi