Chocolate

What is chocolate?

• Made from cacao beans, which comes from a cacao pod
• Mixed with sugar, cocoa liquor, and on occasion: milk.
• COMPLETE DELICIOUSNESS!!

History

• Before Columbus: Cacao was very valuable in the Americas 
• Americans made fermented drink with cacao
• The cacao beans were used as currency
• Paid soldiers in cacao
• 100 cacao beans = 1 turkey hen!

Columbus and Chocolate

• Columbus started a major trade with the Americas
• Traded through the Columbian Exchange in the 1400's 
• Europeans described the cacao drinks as a drink for pigs
• Europeans mixed cacao with honey and cane sugar
• The sweeter chocolate became very popular in Europe

Chocolate Today

• An average American eats about 11-14 lbs. of chocolate ayear
• Big mass-production companies: Hershey's, Nestle, Ghirardelli, etc.
• Found in all sort of sweets (cookies, cakes, pies, candies, etc.)
• The darker the chocolate, the healthier
• Is also used for skin and spa care treatments

Impact of Chocolate

World without Chocolate

• No box of chocolates on Valentine's Day
• No delicious chocolate on Halloween
• No chocolate chip cookies for Santa
• No glass of Nesquick after school
• NO HAPPINESS!!!!!

LOve chocolate