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Chocolate's Contribution to History & Health
Chocolate is derived from the cocoa bean, which typically grows in areas close to the equator with tropical climates.
In celebration of Valentines Day, we are going to discuss one of our favorite sweets: chocolate. Chocolate needs no introduction, as this sweet has been a staple dessert in the American diet for quite some time. It's sweet flavor is familiar to us, but its rich history and health benefits remain largely unknown. Lets take a look at where chocolate came from and how it benefits us today.
The History of Chocolate
The cocoa tree was domesticated over 4,000 years ago by pre-hispanic groups living along the Yucatán Peninsuala. The Mayan civilization particularly revered cocoa as an important commodity and may have used cocoa for trading purposes. Cocoa beans were commonly ground up and mixed with spices and wine to make a fermented chocolate drink for important political figures. One such figure included Moctezuma II, the Emperor of the Aztec civilization at the moment of the Spanish Conquest led by Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century.
Chocolate as Commerce
This image depicts Mayan men using the cocoa plant for monetary purposes. Evidence such as this painting suggests that cocoa beans were traded as a valuable commodity in South America before European colonization.
Exposure to the West
Following the first phase of European colonization in South America (16th century), Spainards traveled back to Europe and introduced the cocoa tree into European society. What we consider chocolate today—a sweet, refined, smooth bark—was developed overtime. To the left is a painting titled "A Lady Pouring Chocolate" by Jean-Étienne Liotard (1744), showing how the tradition of chocolate from South America was introduced into Western culture and gradually transformed into the delicacy we know and love today.
Health Benefits
Not only does chocolate have a rich history, it is also rich in health benefits. The cocoa plant is full of flavanols, naturally derived chemicals found in plants that support heart health by improving blood flow and lowering blood pressure. In a study on the Kuna Indians, an isolated group who lived on the Caribbean Coast of Panama, low blood pressure and high cocoa intake was linked. The Kunda consumed large amounts of the cocoa plant and had very few cases of hypertension. But when they moved into urban areas and began consuming less cocoa, their rates of high blood pressure increased.
Dark chocolate is rich in essential nutrients including iron, copper, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus and flavanols. When eaten in small amounts, dark chocolate can be beneficial to your health.
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