The Legend of Chocolate
According to the legend, chocolate was born like this…
(En español)
QUEZALCOATL, gave to the Olmecs cacao beans, so that their people would be well nourished and thus become studious, wise, artists and artisans.
Quetzalcoatl stole the cacao tree from Paradise, where the gods lived and planted a small bush in Tabasco. After he planted it, he asked Tlaloc “God of Rain” to send abundant rain, so the plant would grow strong and healthy.
Afterwards he went to visit Xochiquetzal, Goddess of love and beauty, and asked her to give it beautiful flowers. In due time, the plant grew, gave flowers and cacao fruits.
This is the legend that has come to us, generation from generation about the origin of cacao in Mexico, a fruit that up to now is very much valued in all over the world.
THE CHOCOLATE IN PRE-HISPANIC TIMES
The first people to cultivate it, were the Olmecs, testimony of this is that they found cacao beans in the tombs of the Olmec priests, probably put there as nourishment for their lives in the underworld, or as an offering to the Gods to insure for themselves a happy life.
The Olmecs in La Venta in Tabasco, were the first humans to taste this drink, it is said that the cacao ground beans, were mixed with water and they added species. They were also the first to cultívate the cacao. By the year 600 AC The Mayas also cultivated it and used it for religious rites.
Among the first inhabitants of Mesoamerica this fruit, called “nourishment of the gods”, was used as a symbol of wealth. To store it or drink it in water, was not only for warriors but for high society characters, and was also destined for celebrations and rites. They would drink the cacao mixed with sapote fruit and corn, and it was dosified in small pills and given to the warriors mixed with hot water.
It was also prepared with honey and flowers, they would add peppercorns, achiote (annatto), “whose” (green leaves used as condiment) and pinole (toasted corn sweetened with sugar or molasses).
As a symbol of wealth, it would be served in a special cup with a gold or silver or precious wood spoon. Cacao was the coin used by the ancient Tenochtitlan, with which they would commercialize, and it is said that Moctezuma had a fortune of 100 million cacao beans. The Aztecs gave it the name of “Xocoatl” that comes from the Aztec Word “bitter and spicy drink”, because they did not use sugar and would add chile (hot peppers).
THE CACAOTERO
The cacao comes from a fruit of tropical origin which grows from a “cacaotero” a small tree that grows in tropical weather. The origin of the tree is from Tabasco, Campeche and Chiapas, in the Pacific Coast and practically in all the areas where the Mayan civilization flourished. It needs a climate that is 10º North or 10º South of the equator.
The presence of Cacao in Mexico is shown in the Stone “Stelae ” depicting daily life in the “Popul Voh” (the mayan bible) and in mayan códices, that survived the conquest.
It is believed that at the beginning of times, cacao was fermented producing something similar to beer.
For the spaniards, cacao was a great finding and they adopted it swiftly, they would add milk, a Little sugar, cinnamon and other species.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF CACAO
The fruit of cacao has a thick Shell, it is oblong similar to american football, the fruit grows from the oldest branches of the tree. The Young leaves are yellowish red, mainly to protect themselves from predators, they won’t eat them thinking they are dry. When the plant matures, the leaves turn green and very hard. It yields from 15 to 29 fruits which give 20 to 60 cacao beans.
There are three different types of Cacao:
- CRIOLLO: This one only represents 10% of world production and it is used for the finest and most exquisite chocolates.
- FORASTERO: Is the cacao plant most used in the production of chocolate. It is a plant easy to grow and requires minimum care, which makes it perfect to obtain the production the market requires, it represents more than 70% of the world’s production of cacao.
- TRINITARIO: It is a hybrid between the “forastero” and the “Criollo”. It is a plant developed to combine the endurance of the cacao “Forastero” and the aroma and taste of the “Criollo” to be able to produce a bean with great flavor, easy to plant and resistant to plagues.
The principal countries, productors of cacao are Ivory Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Cameroon, Ecuador, and Malasia. Mexico is in the 11th place of production of cacao with 22 tons a year.
CACAO DRINKS IN MEXICO
There are more or less 8 different types of drinks in Mexico based in chocolate, depending on the State and the combination of fruits and corn , are given their name, some of them are: Tascalate Pozol from Jalisco, Tejate from Oaxaca, Tanchuca from Sonora, Popo from Veracruz, Bupu form the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and Champurrado used in almost all Mexico drank with tamales.
One of the States in Mexico most famous for the production of chocolate is Oaxaca, where they have a great variety of chocolates. Oaxaca is also famous for the MOLE paste they produce. MOLE is a typical dish based on chocolate.
The Spaniards took chocolate to Spain, and from there it went to France, Italy and England and in the XVIII century it went to Ivory Coast and Ghana, for it’s cultivation, due to the climate and cheap hand labor.
In 1838 Coenraad Van Houten, ground the beans and invented the cocoa powder. By 1870 Daniel Peters, a chocolatier, mixed cocoa powder with milk and sugar and created the chocolate bars, a candy eaten world wide.
In almost all the countries there are businesses that live of the chocolate industry and have created different types of chocolate with very varied flavors.
CHOCOLATE IN MEDICINE
It is proclaimed that it helps the central nervous system, reduces colesterol and helps blood circulation. And at the brain level, it stimulates the brain and lessens fatigue. It has 600 flavor components.
White chocolate is really not chocolate, It is made of cacao butter.
The Legend of Chocolate
EL CHOCOLATE SEGÚN LA LEYENDA NACIÓ DE LA SIGUIENTE FORM…
QUETZALCÓATL le dio a los olmecas los granos de cacao, para que su pueblo estuviera bien alimentado y de esa manera pudieran ser personas estudiosas, sabias, artistas y artesanos.
Quetzalcóatl robó el árbol del cacao del paraíso donde vivían losdioses y plantó el pequeño arbusto en Tabasco. Luego de que lo plantara, le pidió a Tláloc “Dios de la lluvia” que enviara lluvia a la tierra para que la planta se pudiera alimentar y crecer.
EL CHOCOLATE EN LA ÉPOCA PREHISPÁNICA
El cacao era la moneda utilizada en la antigua Tenochtitlán, con la que se comercializaba, por lo que se dice que Moctezuma llegó a acumular una fortuna de 100 millones de almendras de cacao. Los Aztecas le dieron el nombre Xocoatl que proviene de la palabra Azteca “bebida amarga y picante” pués no usaban azúcar y le ponían chile.
CACAOTERO
El cacao proviene de una fruta de origen tropical que nace del cacaotero, un árbol pequeño que crece en ambientes tropicales. El origen del cacaotero se encuentra en Tabasco, Campeche y Chiapas, en la costa del Pacífico y prácticamente en todas las zonas donde se desarrolló la cultura maya. Ya que necesita un clima que se da 10º al Norte o 10º al sur del ecuador. La presencia del cacao en México se encuentra plasmada en estelas de piedra que ilustran escenas del Popol Vuh y en códices mayas que sobrevivieron a la conquista.
Se cree que en los primeros tiempos, el cacao se consumía como una bebida a base de fermentación, algo parecido a una cerveza.
Para los españoles el cacao fue un gran hallazgo que adoptaron rápidamente, le agregaron leche, un poco de azúcar, canela y otras especies.
TIPOS DE CACAO
El fruto del árbol del cacao tiene una cáscara dura, es alargado y similar a una pelota de fútbol americano, el fruto crece directamente del árbol o en sus ramas más viejas.
Las hojas jóvenes son amarilla rojizas como forma de protegerse de insectos que las pueden comer. Cuando la planta madura, la hoja se pone verde y dura. Normalmente da entre 15 y 20 frutos que contienen entre 20 y 60 semillas e cacao.
Existen básicamente tres tipos de cacao:
- CRIOLLO: Este solo representa el 10% de la producción mundial y se reserva para los chocolates más finos y exquisitos.
- FORASTERO: Es la planta de cacao más utilizada en la producción de barras de chocolate. Es una planta fácil de cuidar con un mantenimiento mínimo que la hace perfecta para lograr el cultivo que el mercado requiere, representa más del 70% de la producción mundial de cacao.
- TRINITARIO: Es un híbrido entre el forastero y el criollo. Es una planta que surgió en el intento de combinar la resistencia del cacao forastero con el aroma y sabor del criollo, para así producir un grano de gran sabor, fácil de plantar y resistente a las enfermedades.
Los principales países productores de cacao son Costa de Marfil, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brasil, Camerún Ecuador y Malasia. México ocupa el onceavo lugar en la producción de cacao con 22 mil toneladas al año.
Hay mas o menos 8 diferentes tipos de bebidas en Mexico a base de chocolate, dependiendo del Estado y la combinación de frutas y maíz principalmente, le dan el nombre, éstas son algunas de ellas. Tascalate: Pozol de Jalisco, Tejate de Oaxaca, Tanchuca de Sonora : Popo de Veracruz Bupu del Istmo de Tehuantepec: Champurrado en todo Mexico para comer con tamales.
Uno de los Estados en México más famoso por la venta de chocolate es Oaxaca en donde tiene una gran variedad de chocolates.
También en Oaxaca se vende la pasta del MOLE que es uno de los platillo típicos hechos a base de chocolate.
En 1838 llego a manos de Coenraad Van Houten quien hizo cocoa.
Para 1870, el chocolatero Daniel Peters mezclaría el cacao con leche y azúcar para crear las barras de chocolate que se consumen como golosina en todo el mundo.
En casi todos los países del mundo hay empresas que viven de la industria del chocolate y han creado diferentes tipos de chocolate con sabores variados.
EL CHOCOLATE COMO AUXILIAR DE LA SALUD
A nivel mental, es anti-depresivo, estímula el cerebro y aminora la fatiga.
Tiene 600 compuestos de sabor.
Biografía de The Legend of Chocolate
Fragmentos de Mexico Desconocido
Fragmentos de Historia de la Comida en Mexico de Amando Farga