Christopher Columbus’ Link to Cocoa
Born in 1451, Christopher Columbus was a mysterious navigator. His nationality remains a perpetual debate. He married the daughter of one of the first colonizers of Madeira, Dona Filipa Perestrelo y Moniz, in 1479. Dedicated to research and exploration, Christopher Columbus liked to sail. He discovered the American continent. He then discovered the presence of cocoa beans among Mayan civilizations in Latin America. Now, this discovery makes him a world-renowned chocolate legend.
Christopher Columbus and Cocoa
In 1492, when he was returning from Latin America, Christopher Columbus had the idea to bring cocoa beans back to Spain. Unfortunately, at that time, the famous explorer did not yet know the value of these cocoa beans. So he threw them overboard. In 1502, Columbus returned to America and finally decided to bring back the first cocoa bean in Spain.
From that moment on, other explorers also got their hands on this famous discovery. Chocolate began to spread all over the world. At first, chocolate was used for medicinal purposes. It was often prescribed by doctors. But, with the addition of cane sugar, the European nobility made chocolate a new drink. This beverage was very popular with Europeans and only the rich had access to chocolate. Shortly after, each country adapted chocolate to their taste and preference.
The Value of Chocolate
Some of us still wonder about how chocolate is made. In fact, chocolate is a product that stems from processing cocoa beans. The latter comes from a tree known as a cocoa tree and its fruit is called the pod. This fruit tree grows mainly in countries in the equatorial region.
Cocoa beans are found in the pod. Then these grains are dried in the sun and then roasted to get cocoa powder. In addition, they are pressed to extract cocoa butter. Chocolate is made from a mixture of cocoa powder, cocoa butter, milk, and sugar. Thus, the chocolate’s quality depends on the cocoa beans and the ratio of the ingredients. These precious grains are the fruits of the historical hero name Christopher Columbus’ discovery.
