Did the Aztecs create chocolate?
The Aztecs learned about the value of cacao beans from their predecessors, the Maya who began cultivating cacao as early as 600 AD, and the Toltecs who continued it. Aztecs adopted the idea that it was a god-given fruit, used cacao beans as a commodity, and followed the tradition of preparing chocolate as a drink.
What did the Aztecs use to flavor chocolate?
For the Aztecs, the premier flavouring was hueinacaztli (pic 4, right), identified by the Coes as ‘the thick, ear-shaped petal of the flower of the Cymbopetalum penduliflorum, a tree of the Annonaceae or custard-apple family, which grows in the tropical lowland forests of Veracruz, Oaxcaca, and Chiapas’.
What is Aztec chocolate called?
Xocolatl
This bitter, spicy Aztec drink is what modern ‘Hot Chocolate’ is based from. For a more authentic version the way the Aztecs enjoyed, chill the Xocolatl before drinking.
Who drank chocolate in Aztec society?
The Aztec loved cold chocolate drinks (unlike the Maya, who preferred theirs warm), but in the far more rigid Aztec communities, only special individuals — rulers, priests, great warriors, leading merchants, and honored guests — were officially allowed access to this beverage.
When did the Aztecs discover chocolate?
The history of chocolate began in Mesoamerica. Fermented beverages made from chocolate date back to 450 BC. The Mexica believed that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom, and the seeds once had so much value that they were used as a form of currency.
What did the Aztecs believe about chocolate?
The Aztecs took chocolate admiration to another level. They believed cacao was given to them by their gods. Like the Mayans, they enjoyed the caffeinated kick of hot or cold, spiced chocolate beverages in ornate containers, but they also used cacao beans as currency to buy food and other goods.
How did Aztecs use chocolate?
Did Aztecs sweeten their chocolate?
Since the alkaline process hadn’t been invented, it was very bitter (the Aztec name chocolatl means bitter water ), so it was heavily sweetened. Some of Montezuma’s own golden bowls of chocolate were sweetened with honey, and most of the rest were flavored with various spices and herbs.
When did the Aztecs invent chocolate?
What was Aztec chocolate like?
Mayan chocolate was a revered brew made of roasted and ground cacao seeds mixed with chillies, water and cornmeal. Mayans poured this mixture from one pot to another, creating a thick foamy beverage called “xocolatl”, meaning “bitter water.” By the 15th century, the Aztecs used cocoa beans as currency.
Why did the Aztecs love chocolate?
How did the Aztecs use chocolate?
Why was chocolate important to Aztec history?
This ancient civilization also revered chocolate for its aphrodisiac qualities , with Moctezuma apparently consuming absurd amounts of the food to enhance his sexual stamina. During the Mayan and Aztec periods chocolate was mainly consumed in drink form in the areas of Xoconochco and Suchitepequez.
What did the Aztecs have to do with chocolate?
Unlike the Maya of Yucatán, the Aztecs drank chocolate cold. It was consumed for a variety of purposes, as an aphrodisiac or as a treat for men after banquets, and it was also included in the rations of Aztec soldiers. Until the 16th century, the cacao tree was wholly unknown to Europeans.
Did the Aztecs discover chocolate?
Europeans first discovered chocolate in 1519 when the explorer Cortes and his men drank “chocolatl” with the Aztec emperor, Moctezuma . The ancient Mayan and Aztec cultures, however, cultivated and traded cacao for many centuries before the Europeans even considered sailing away from their coastline.
Did the Aztecs trade chocolate?
To the Aztecs, commercial trade was not profitable enough, except for chocolate . Aztec chocolate was treasured in Europe because of its rarity and marvelous taste; chocolate was the main item the Aztecs exported, though they also exported luxury items and pottery.