By Liam A

Chocolate!

About Chocolate…Chocolate used to be known as the ‘Food of Gods’. It is loved by almost everyone! But the history of chocolate is linked to:• Invasion• Trade Supplies• Slavery• Smuggling

Where is Chocolate made?All the chocolate we eat comes from a plant called the cacao tree. It has been grown for thousands of years in Central and South America. It was grown by Indians from about 1000BC when it was used to make a bitter drink, then the Aztec and Mayan Indian tribes continued to grow the trees in later years. Chocolate was the drink of soldiers and the rich, although it was also common at large festivals and celebrations. The beans themselves was used as money. When Columbus, the great explorer, discovered a canoe full of cacao beans, he knew their use as coins but had no idea they had greater potential riches as a drink or food.

What Happened Next?The Spanish brought chocolate to Europe after they conquered the Aztecs in the 1500’s. At first people did not like it, but chocolate became popular drink over the next 100 years and is still popular today!

Chocolate - SlaveryTo make enough chocolate, the Spanish made slaves of the poor people in Central and South America. Then, in West Africa and Asia, as well as Venezuela, cacao trees were grown and plantations were created and African slaves were brought onto the plantations to work as a form of cheap labour. It was a very hard job. Some children today are used as a source of cheap labour to produce the crop and they have to work in terrible conditions and often have to work up to 100 hours a week! Some have to carry heavy sacks of cacao beans on their shoulders.

The Cacao TreeThe tree that produces the chocolate beans is a fussy tree that needs exact temperatures, constant moisture and the protection of lots of larger trees around it to keep it from getting too much sun. The flower grows right on the trunk and only a few of the flowers become the fruit that is the size and shape of an American football. The pod contains the beans, which are split open and dried. One tree produces only a pound or two of beans a year which is not very much at all.

What Happened After that?...Two thirds of cocoa, the base of chocolate, is now grown in Western Africa and the largest producer is the Ivory Coast. The production of chocolate has grown from one hundred thousand tons in the 1990’s to over two and a half million tons by 2000. Chocolate trade is worth 50 billion dollars a year and big companies from Europe and the USA make a lot of money from it.

Chocolate Today!Chocolate is now important in so many modern celebrations like Christmas, Valentines Day and Easter and it also has a role in the many healthy eating products around the world as chocolate containing more than 65% cacao can help keep your blood pressure down, help your blood flow and help keep your heart healthy.

What is Your favourite type of Chocolate?