Chocolate Story

The story about chocolate begins more than 1000 years ago. Even from many resources, the story begins around 2000 years ago exactly in equatorial Central America, Mexico, where the Mayan Indians held cocoa beans in high regard. Beverage from crushed cocoa beans was first created by Mayans which was enjoyed by royalty and shared at sacred ceremonies. At that time the Mayans thought cocoa beans had some magical powers. They used them in rituals ceremonies and healings by priests. They used cocoa medicinally as a treatment for fever, coughs and even discomfort during pregnancy.
Chocolate story continuous on the next period when the Aztec Empire exists. The Aztec Indians improved upon the recipe sweetening it with vanilla and honey. They called the drink with "xocoatl" meaning bitter water. Chocolate became so highly regarded by the Aztecs that it was used as a form of currency along with gold dust. Known as "the drink of Nobles", it was prepared with meticulous care.
It was Columbus who first brought cocoa beans to Europe from his last voyage to the Caribbean islands in 1502. The King and Queen of Spain,King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, never dreamed how important cocoa beans would become. It remained for Hernando Cortes, the Spanish explorer, to grasp the commercial possibilities of cocoa beans. Europeans got their first real taste of chocolate when Emperor Montezuma offered the explorer Cortez a foaming hot chocolate drink.