World Chocolate Day: the gift of the gods

“A single cup of this drink makes the soldier so strong that he can walk all day without having to eat another meal.“he claimed Hernan Cortes in one of his Letters to Carlos I of Spain, referring to chocolate consumed in Mexican lands. And it is that this delicacy, widely used there, immediately captivated those who arrived on American territory.

The Olmecs, the Mesoamerican civilization located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico between 1500 and 500 BC. they crushed the beans and mixed them with water and other herbs. This preparation was mainly used for the performance of religious rituals or as a medicinal drink. This culture then spread to the Mayan civilization to settle in the region.

The cultivation of cocoa has spread and also legends, of course, such as the one that details that in reality everything was born thanks to the great gesture of the god Quetzalcóatl, one of the most important in Mesoamerican culture, also known as “The Feathered Serpent”, who loved his people so much that decided to give youa plant he had stolen from the gods, from which they could get a drink worthy of themselves.

Thus, cocoa was a very valuable commodity for these civilizations and was also generally used as a bargaining chip in various transactions or at funerals of elites. And how important it must have been that at the time of the arrival of Christopher Columbus, who most attracted the attention of those who landed It was not precisely its taste but the monetary value that in this part of the world was given to cocoa..

To illustrate, there is no one better than Christopher Columbus’ own son, Hernando, who in one of his writings refers to “the almonds they use as currency in New Spain” which he assured “they highly esteemed them because when they were placed in the vessel I noticed that when some of these almonds were falling they were all trying to pick them up as if an eye had fallen”.

But going back to Hernán Cortés, his arrival took place at a key moment in the history of this city, since the Americans awaited the return of the god Quetzalcóatl, and believing to see in the new arrival the expected image of the god, he was Emperor Montezuma decided to give them the best of banquets. For the end of the evening, they were offered this drink, which, according to some chronicles, the emperor drank up to 50 cups a day for his reputation as a potent aphrodisiac.

The Spaniards were in awe of this drink and its success in European lands increased its popularity, although it was still reserved for the upper classes. It is more, the word “chocolate” did not appear until 1590 for the first time in a Spanish text, Natural and moral history of India, written by Father José de Acosta. There he detailed that “the main benefit of this cocoa is a concoction they make, which they call chocolate, which is a crazy thing they enjoy in this land.”

This Spanish naturalist, who from 1571 undertook important missions in America, drew at this time: “It has a foam on top and a bubble like feces», But he clarified:« It is the precious drink, with which the Indians invite the gentlemen who come or pass by their land; and ISpaniards crave dark chocolate”. But it wasn’t just a drink, and he explained, “They do it in various forms and temperaments, hot and cold, and lukewarm. They use spices and a lot of chili; They also make it into pasta, and they say it’s good for your health, for the stomach and for colds ”.

Born in 1601, Ana Mauricia, daughter of the Spanish king Felipe III, she married the French monarch Louis XIII, which provoked important disputes, since Cardinal Richelieu, who really reigned over France, considered her an enemy of French interests, although she was for the people a true queen copy. She was even immortalized by Alexandre Dumas by making her the main figure of The three Musketeers. Of intense social life, this woman too was one of the people responsible for the expansion of chocolate.

The drink was still unknown in this territory and Ana de Austria, who knew him from Spain, came to impose him in the meetings, with a strong acceptance that had from the beginning. However, there was a small difference in this new territory conquered by alcohol, and that is that it seemed too strong, so it was customary to lower it with a little milk. Thus, from Spain first and then from France, it spread to the rest of the European countries, which consumed it as a sign of distinction.

The chocolate revolution took very little to happen, and this is a fact that is also under discussion, because while some writings claim that the transition from the manual process to the mechanical process occurred in 1777 in Barcelona, others specify that it really took place in the United States, specifically in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Regarding the solidification and birth of the first tablets, no one doubts that it is thanks to the Italian Doret in Turin.

Also in Italy, but in Turin, the production of artisan chocolate fell into one of its most important families in the city, with delicacies that everyone enjoyed. The Fenoglio family She owned a story that has continued over time, with Grandfather Aldo as one of the members who made truffles, chocolates and other sweets taking care of the composition of his recipes. However, World War II was approaching.

In the midst of this conflict, Aldo met love, met Inés and the time has come to emigrate. So the two they settled in San Carlos de Bariloche, a village of no more than 10,000 inhabitants where they will set up the city’s first artisanal chocolate factory, called Tronador, which also serves as a cafeteria. The business has continued to grow and knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation.

“I have very present childhood memories, my father was a pastry chef and my mother was a cook specializing in savory dishes. We lived in the Tronador confectionery, that’s why practically I sucked through the pores of chocolate, pastries and even the salty products my mother made. You can say that I learned everything by osmosis, but the reality is that it is because I was with them while they made what they sold in the confectionery ”, explained Diego Fenoglio in an interview. with Infobae.

The famous chocolatier confessed that he always felt “Passion for everyone of pastry and chocolate, I loved what my father did as a chocolatier and he passed on this passion for the world of pastry and chocolate to me. I have never hesitated to follow in his footsteps ”. And by following these steps, with the inherited knowledge and the accumulated experience, it is because 1996 inaugurated Rapanui chocolates.

Diego Fenoglio explained to Infobae how the process goes: “We select the raw material that we are going to use, for us it is essential to always choose the best ingredients, the chocolate to be worked requires that the raw material be of the highest quality. Then we think of the fresh (fruits) or seasonal that will combine with this development, these are added to the chocolate already in the last part of the procedure ”, he continued.

“Essentially a product is never finished, it can always be improved or change something in the recipe to increase its quality”, Closed Fenoglio.

In France, in 1995, a group of people understood that this delicacy must have a day to celebrate it, and so it was chosen on September 13. The date is not at all fortuitous, since on this day, but 1916 would take place the birth of Roald Dahl, the British novelist who created one of the greatest works of children’s literature, which went on to appear in theaters twice: Charlie and the chocolate factory.

Luckily, the United States started celebrating it on that date as well, and not precisely with Dahl in mind. The same day was chosen because on this date, In 1857 Milton S. Hershey was born, founder of The Hershey Chocolate Company, an American company that in 1903 became the largest chocolate factory in the world.

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