The Delicious History of Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the top sellers in candy and sweets around the world. Chocolate is found in many things, from candy, cookies, cakes, drinks, and more. The history of chocolate is an interesting topic, especially how it is grown, made, and harvested. A history of chocolate can be found at Ipiass. To learn all about what chocolate is, read on at Wikipedia.

Chocolate through the Years

Chocolate was first discovered when the cacao tree was found over 2,000 years ago, in the rainforests of the Americas. Chocolate can be processed from the seeds found in the pods of the tree. The old cultures of Mexico and Central America are the first known people to have made chocolate by grinding the seeds with other seasonings to make a drink. For more information on the history of chocolate, go to Field Museum. New recipes were created in Spain after the Spanish conquistadors found out about the seeds and carried them home. Chocolate quickly spread in popularity, and has remained a favorite of the entire world through the years. For a time line of chocolate and information see Chocolate History.

Growing and Manufacturing the Cocoa Bean

Cocoa trees are only able to grow in tropical areas, such as Asia and South America. They grow well if they are in the shade of other, larger trees, and require filtered sunlight when they are mature. For more information on the cocoa tree, go to World Cocoa Foundation and Cocoa Tree. A shade grown tree is able to produce the cocoa bean for over 100 years, so it is important to keep the trees healthy. To learn about growing these trees, go to Hawaiian Chocolate. Information on manufacturing the cocoa bean can be found at Cacao Web. To view the patent on the cocoa bean, go to Patent Storm.

Handling the Harvest and Shipment Procedure

Cocoa trees are very frail, so handling the harvesting must be done delicately. Tumbadores, or pickers, use a long handled steel knife to snip the pods from the highest parts of the tree, so as not to injure the bark in any way. The tree is too delicate to be climbed, so the long handled instruments are the best way to get to the top. Cocoa beans and seeds are taken from the pods and placed into covered boxes. Fermentation will start to occur. After the full process takes place, which can be read about at Cocoa Background, the beans are shipped in 130 to 200 pound sacks. For more information, go to Ecountry Lifestyle.

From the Bean to Chocolate

From the cocoa bean comes the chocolate that millions of kids and adults alike have grown to adore. To learn about the process of how the cocoa bean becomes creamy chocolate, go to Info Galaxy. Many people would like to learn about how to do the process of turning beans into chocolate, so much that they would take a course on it. For more information on learning how to make chocolate, go to Waynes This and That. To learn how to make it from scratch, a good read can be found at Ecolechocolat.

Inside a Chocolate Factory

Millions of dollars of equipment is used in the making of chocolate in factories. That is because of the intense demand for chocolate, which means that vast amounts can be made at one time. Many instruments used have to be extremely precise, so as to regulate the temperature of the chocolate, the moisture in the air, as well as many other important factors. For kids interested in the workings of a chocolate factory, Surfnet Kids is a good place to start. For more information on factories, go to Knet.

From various medicinal uses to gift baskets, chocolate continues to be a sweet favored by millions of people around the world. It is interesting to see the process of chocolate as it is made from a bitter bean into a sweet, delectable favorite.