Hot chocolate

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Hot chocolate with marshmallow
For the musical band, see Hot Chocolate.

Hot chocolate, or hot cocoa is a beverage, usually served hot, typically consisting of milk, chocolate or cocoa powder, and sugar. It became popular in Europe after being introduced from the New World.

History

The first users of cacao were most likely the Olmecs, a Native American people of Mesoamerica and the oldest civilization of The Americas (1500-400 BC). Later, the Maya civilization consumed cacao-based drinks made with beans from their plantations in the Chontalpa region of present-day Tabasco, Mexico. They created a drink which in Nahuatl was called "xocolatl" (xococ, bitter + atl, water), the "x" being an archaic Spanish phoneme with a similar pronunciation as the modern English "sh". This drink was made from roasted cocoa beans, water, and a little spice. Cocoa beans were also used as a currency.

Following the European discovery of America, Christopher Columbus returned from the New World with cocoa beans, but the Europeans favored other, more practical trade goods. However, in 1517 Hernán Cortés landed on the Mexican coast near Veracruz. He made his way to Tenochtitlan to see the famed riches of Emperor Moctezuma and the Aztec empire.

Moctezuma introduced Hernán Cortés to his favourite drink, "chocolatl", which he served in a golden goblet. "The chocolatl was a potation of chocolate flavored with vanilla and spices, and so prepared as to be reduced to a froth of the consistency of honey, which gradually dissolved in the mouth and was taken cold."[1] Moctezuma consumed his "chocolatl" in goblets before entering his harem, leading to the belief that it was an aphrodisiac.

Cortés returned to Spain in 1528 with galleons loaded with cocoa beans and chocolate drink making equipment. The court of King Charles V soon adopted it, and "chocolate" became a fashionable drink popular with the Spanish upper class. Additionally, cocoa was given as a dowry when members of the Spanish Royal Family married other European aristocrats. It took nearly a century for chocolate to achieve popularity throughout Europe, as the Spanish kept the delicacy secret.

Development

Hot chocolate.

Drinking chocolate was originally a cold mixture of ground cocoa beans and water with the addition of spices such as cayenne pepper, vanilla and pimento. Later spices such as cloves and cinnamon were used. The ancients drank it from large bowls so they could take in all of its aromas. By the time it was introduced to Europe, the more pungent spices in the drink were replaced with cane sugar and it was served hot instead of cold.

After being introduced in England, milk was added to the after dinner treat. By the 18th Century, so-called "Chocolate Houses" were as popular as coffee houses. The first "Chocolate House" opened in London in 1657. Because it was so expensive, hot chocolate was considered a drink for the elite.

"Hot chocolate" is a retronym and the drink was originally simply called "chocolate". The subsequent popularity of the "chocolate bar" forced the invention of the term "hot chocolate" to distinguish it from "chocolate" which now means "bar chocolate".

By 1828, the first cocoa powder producing machine had been developed in The Netherlands, which generated a less acidic, more processed cocoa, now known as dutch-process cocoa. The new form of cocoa was easier to blend with warm milk or water.

Americans often use the terms "hot chocolate" and "hot cocoa" interchangeably, while other make a difference between "hot cocoa", made from a powdered mix of cocoa, sugar, thickeners and "hot chocolate" made directly from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar and cocoa butter. Hot chocolate can be made with dark, semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces and stirred into milk with the addition of sugar. American hot cocoa powder often includes powdered milk or other dairy ingredients so it can make a drink without using milk. A modern American concept is the addition of marshmallows to hot chocolate. Some packaged hot cocoa mixes come with small dry marshmallows.

Place in modern society

Today hot chocolate is consumed throughout the world. It is especially popular in Europe, where it is made directly from chocolate; and, with the influence of restaurant pastry chefs and chocolatiers, this style is creeping into American culture. In American culture, hot chocolate is traditionally a winter drink, associated in folk images with snowstorms and sledding. It is not usually drunk in summer as are the other hot beverages, coffee and tea.

In Spain, hot chocolate and churros was the traditional working-man's breakfast. This Spanish style of hot chocolate is very thick, having the consistency of warm chocolate pudding. Today, in cities like Madrid, Spaniards mark the traditional end to a night out by dipping churros into the thickest hot chocolate imaginable.

See also

References

  1. ^ Hickling, William (1838). History of the Conquest of Mexico. ISBN 0375758038.
  • Turback, Michael (2005). Hot Chocolate, Ten Speed Press. ISBN 1580087086.
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