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| The earliest record of
chocolate consumption dates from the
Classic period of the Ancient Maya
of Mexico and Central America. The
Maya and their ancestors made chocolate
into a spicy drink (cacao paste mixed
with chili peppers, vanilla and other
ingredients) that they used in ceremonies. |
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| The Aztec,
between the 13th and 16th centuries,
were among those who had to trade
for cacao and often required that
citizens and conquered peoples pay
their tribute in cacao seeds—a form
of Aztec money. Like the earlier Maya,
the Aztecs also consumed their bitter
chocolate drink seasoned with spices,
and sometimes with honey (sugar was
unavailable to them). |
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| Columbus encountered a great Mayan
trading boat carrying cocoa beans. |
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| Europe’s first contact
with chocolate came during the conquest
of Mexico in 1521. The Spaniards recognized
the value attached to cacao and observed
the Aztec custom of drinking chocolate.
Soon after, the Spanish began to ship
cacao seeds back home.
An expensive import, chocolate
remained an elite beverage and a
status symbol for Europe’s upper
classes for the next 300 years. |
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 When the Spanish brought
cacao home, they doctored up the bitter
brew with cinnamon and other spices
and began sweetening it with sugar.
They managed to keep their delicious
drink a Spanish secret for almost
100 years before the rest of Europe
discovered what they were missing.
Sweetened chocolate soon became
the latest and greatest fad to hit
the continent. |
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| The first chocolate house
was opened in London. |
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 Because cacao and sugar
were expensive imports, only those
with money could afford to drink
chocolate and it was considered
a beverage for the elite class.
In fact, in France, chocolate was
a state monopoly that could be consumed
only by members of the royal court.
Like the Maya and the Aztecs, Europeans
developed their own special protocol
for the drinking of chocolate. They
even designed elaborate porcelain
and silver serving pieces and cups
for chocolate that acted as symbols
of wealth and power. |
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| Cacao and sugar were
labor-intensive agricultural products.
To keep up with the demand for chocolate,
Spain and many other European nations
established colonial plantations for
growing these plants.
A combination of wage laborers
and enslaved peoples were used to
create a plantation workforce. |
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The French artisan Debuisson
invented a table to grind cocoa. It
still needed manpower but it  made the processing more
efficient and the hard work a little
more comfortable. |
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| The cocoa tree
got an official Latin botanical
name from Linnaeus: Theobroma
cacao. The name refers to
the mythical background of
the tree and means literally:
“cocoa, food of the gods”. |
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Chocolate was introduced
to the
United States when Irish chocolate
maker John Hanan and Dr. James Baker
built the first chocolate mill in
America in Dorchester, Massachusetts. |
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| For centuries, chocolate
had remained a handmade luxury sipped
only by society’s upper crust. But
by the 1800s, mass production made
solid chocolate candy affordable to
a much broader public.
The Industrial Revolution witnessed
the development of an enormous number
of new mechanical inventions and
ushered in the era of the factory.
The steam engine made it possible
to grind cacao and produce large
amounts of chocolate cheaply and
quickly. Later inventions like the
cocoa press and the conching machine
made it possible to create smooth,
creamy, solid chocolate for eating—not
just liquid chocolate for drinking. |
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| In France, Doret built the first
machine that automatically ground
cocoa beans. |
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| Dr Joseph Fry of Bristol,
England, employed a steam engine for
grinding cocoa beans, which led to
the manufacture of chocolate on a
large factory scale. |
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| Francois-Louis Cailler opens
up the first Swiss chocolate
factory. |
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| Dutchman Conrad
Van Houten patented a method
for separating cocoa solids
from cocoa butter. This |
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| invention helped cut
prices and improve the quality of
chocolate. His alkalizing process
became known as “Dutching”. |
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Joseph Fry & Son
discovered a way to mix some of the
cocoa butter back into the “Dutched”
chocolate, added other ingredients
to make a paste that could be molded
– the result was the first chocolate
bar for eating. |
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Introduction of
the first mass marketed boxes of chocolates
by the Cadbury brothers. |
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| After eight years of experimenting,
Daniel Peter of Switzerland
developed the world’s first
milk chocolate bar. |
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| Rodolphe Lindt of Switzerland
produced a more smooth and creamy chocolate
that melted on the tongue. He invented
a machine that churns the paste squeezed
from cacao seeds into a smooth blend
(conching), giving chocolate a new texture. |
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| Candy maker Milton S. Hershey
built a chocolate factory and started
to produce milk chocolate using modern,
mass-production techniques that made
the product more affordable to all. |
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Jean Neuhaus invented
a chocolate shell that he could fill
with cream or nut pastes. The praline is now almost
synonymous with Belgian chocolate.
He also designed an appropriate package
to hold his treasured chocolate praline
gifts called a ballotin box. Throughout
the world, chocolate made in Belgium
is easily recognized for its rich
taste and textures and delicate, yet
complicated flavors. |
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| Jules Sechaud of Montreux
introduced a machine process for manufacturing
filled chocolates. |
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Philippe and Huguette
Dumas moved from Paris France to Napa,
California bringing their recipes
for world-class chocolate with them.
More than two decades later, Le Belge’s
decadent truffles and innovative packaging
are found in the most exclusive resorts
across the country. We use only the
finest Belgian chocolate and premium
ingredients. |
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Master Chocolatier, Chef
Sebastien Beline joined Le Belge. With
a long family heritage in chocolate
making. Chef Beline's handcrafted creations
are inspired by classic French techniques
and the latest innovative trends to
create truly unique chocolates of unparallel
quality.
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