We all know hot chocolate as the warm, rich drink we enjoy on a cold night by the fire, or after engaging in winter activities such as ice skating and skiing. But have you ever thought about this delicious beverage's origins? Hot chocolate's history goes quite a way back, and the drink has changed over the years, evolvingfrom cold and spicy to warm and sweet.
It Started in Mexico
As early as 500 BC, the Mayans were drinking chocolate made from ground-up cocoa seeds mixed with water, cornmeal, and chili peppers(as well as other ingredients)—a much different version from the hot chocolate we know today. They would mix the drink by pouring it back and forth from a cup to a pot until a thick foam developed, and then enjoy the beveragecold. Although the chocolate drink was available to all classes of people, the wealthy would drink it from large vessels with spouts, which later would be buried along with them.
Then Made its Way to Europe
In the early 1500s, the explorer Cortez brought cocoa beans and the chocolate drink-making tools to Europe.Although the drink still remained cold and bitter-tasting, it gained popularity and was adopted by the court of King Charles V as well as the Spanish upper class. After its introduction in Spain, the drink began to be served hot, sweetened, and without the chili peppers. The Spanish were very protective of their wonderful new beverage, and it was over a hundred years before news of it began to spread across Europe.
When it hit London in the 1700s, chocolate houses (similar to today's coffee shops) became popular and very trendy, even though chocolate was very expensive. In the late 1700s, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, Hans Sloane, brought from Jamaica a recipefor mixing chocolate with milk, which made the drink more palatable in his opinion. Well, others agreed andthe English started adding milk to their chocolate; it was then enjoyed as an after-dinner beverage.
Hot Chocolate Today
Up until the 19th century, hot chocolate was used as a treatment for stomach and liver diseases as well as a special drink. Today, however, we simply treat this warm concoction as a beverage to sip and savor. In America, hot chocolate is somewhat thin and often made by combining hot water with packets of powder, although you can find more authentic and gourmet varieties in restaurants and cafes. Other countries have their own versions—Spain's thickchocolate a la taza,spicedchocolate para mesafrom Latin America, and Italy'scioccolata calda, which is very thick.
Hot chocolate has become so popular in the United States that it is available in coffee vending machines. The powder is sold in packets and canisters, and coffee houses often have rich, somewhat thicker varieties on their menus.
The Evolution of Chocolate
It wasn't until the middle of the 18th century that chocolate began to evolve past its drinkable form. First, cocoa powder was invented in Holland, where the Dutch controlled nearly the entire cocoa bean trade. Since the cocoa powder blends much easier with milk or water, it allowed for more creations to come. Next came chocolate as a candy by mixing cocoa butter with sugar and in 1876, milk chocolate was developed. From then on, chocolate has become more popular as a solid treat rather than as the drink it started from.
Hot Chocolate Recipes
FAQs
According to The Sweet Story of Hot Chocolate! by Stephen Krensky, 3,500 years ago — long before coffee hit the scene — the Olmec people in Central America grew cacao beans. They would grind them up, mix them with water and other ingredients, and drink this as medicine or for special occasions.
Where was hot chocolate first invented? ›
It Started in Mexico
As early as 500 BC, the Mayans were drinking chocolate made from ground-up cocoa seeds mixed with water, cornmeal, and chili peppers (as well as other ingredients)—a much different version from the hot chocolate we know today.
Did hot chocolate originate in Mexico? ›
A cocoa drink was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 AD, by which they referred to as xocōlātl. The drink became popular in Europe after being introduced from Mexico in the New World and has undergone multiple changes since then.
Who invented putting marshmallows in hot chocolate? ›
Marshmallows first came into the picture in 1917, when the company Angelus Marshmallows published a recipe for hot cocoa topped with their product. (In another genius marketing move, the company also hitched its wagon to sweet potatoes with a recipe for the side dish that has since become a Thanksgiving staple.)
Did the king of the Aztecs drink hot chocolate? ›
4,000 Years of Cacao History
Chocolate elixirs were drinks of the rulers, like famed Aztec emperor Montezuma II, who was rumored to have drunk dozens of pitchers of the frothy drink a day. They were also used in religious and wedding ceremonies, and other festive occasions.
Who is the founder of hot chocolate? ›
Early on, London pharmacies manufactured and sold the beverage as a medicinal remedy. Later, in the 19th century, the Cadbury Brothers commercialized the recipe under the name “Sir Hans Sloane's Milk Chocolate.” As hot milk chocolate's popularity spread, so did Sloane's fame as the inventor of modern hot chocolate.
What country is known for hot chocolate? ›
It makes sense to start with the country of origin for hot chocolate: Mexico. Mayans were the first culture to make a drink out of chocolate. However, it was much different than the beverage you're familiar with today. It was served cold and brewed like a beer for celebrations.
Why does Mexican hot chocolate taste different? ›
Mexican hot chocolate contains spices like cinnamon and chili and chopped bittersweet chocolate to create a very rich but less sweet flavor. Whereas traditional American hot chocolate is usually made with a combination of cocoa powder and/or chocolate and tends to be more on the sweet side.
What did the Mayans call hot chocolate? ›
The original Mayan chocolate drink, known as “chocolatl” or “chocolha” in the Mayan language, was a spicy and bitter beverage made from roasted cacao beans. It was flavored with various indigenous ingredients such as chili peppers, spices (cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) and vanilla.
Is Mexico the birthplace of chocolate? ›
The history of chocolate begins its 4,000 years of history in ancient Mesoamerica, present day Mexico and the birthplace of chocolate. It's here that the first cacao plants, the plant which chocolate is made from, were found.
Hot chocolate is also packed with antioxidants, which are important for maintaining good health. The cocoa powder used to make dark chocolate contains flavonoids and catechins, which have been linked to several health benefits including reducing inflammation and improving heart health.
What is coffee and hot chocolate called? ›
Caffè mocha, in its most basic formulation, can also be referred to as hot chocolate with (e.g., a shot of) espresso added. Like cappuccino, caffè mochas typically contain the distinctive milk froth on top; as is common with hot chocolate, they are sometimes served with whipped cream instead.
What is the difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa? ›
Hot Chocolate is made using solid chocolate melted in warm milk or cream. Hot Cocoa, however, is made from a powdered base of cocoa with added sugar and dissolved in hot water or hot milk.
Which president loved hot chocolate? ›
Thomas Jefferson once wrote to his pal John Adams and predicted that hot chocolate would surpass coffee and tea to become the favored beverage of Americans.
Did Native Americans drink hot chocolate? ›
The Aztecs also created xocoatl, a spicy hot chocolate drink that mixed cacoa beans, corn flour, water and chilies which was popular with the upper classes.
Did Mexicans invent hot chocolate? ›
The first chocolate drink is thought to have been created around 2,000 years ago by the Mayans, and there is clear evidence of some form of cocoa beverage in Aztec culture by 1400 AD.
Was hot chocolate invented in Jamaica? ›
According to the Natural History Museum in Britain, that credit goes to Sir Hans Sloane, an Irish botanist. Sloane spent some time in Jamaica in the early 1700s, where the local people gave him cocoa to drink. “He found it 'nauseous' but by mixing it with milk made it more palatable," the museum says.
Where did Spanish hot chocolate come from? ›
The History of Chocolate in Spain
The Spanish Explorers first brought chocolate to Europe over 500 years ago! The Spanish were the first ones who mixed the bitter cocoa with sugar, thus modifying a bitter Mayan drink into the delicious and sweet hot chocolate drink as we know today.
Where did French hot chocolate originate? ›
Chocolate was first brought to France by Spanish Conquistadors, and it was quickly reserved for the nobility and upper classes. From Louis XIII to Marie-Antoinette, the kings and queens of France greatly appreciated this hot drink which took the French Court by storm.
Who invented instant hot chocolate? ›
Thanks to Wisconsinite Charles Sanna, who invented the first instant hot chocolate you could make with hot water in the late 1950s, we can prepare a rich chocolaty beverage within a minute.
