First Chocolate Made, Who Invented It, History, Melting Point

Interesting Facts About How the First Chocolate Was Made

How and When Did Chocolate Come Into Being and Who Invented It?

What is one of the fastest growing, most profitable, and most stable industries in the US? The answer might surprise you, and to find that answer, look no farther than the candy aisle at your local grocery store. 

According to statistics, the chocolate industry is projected to reach 18 billion dollars in the US alone by 2011. With an 18 billion dollar sales projection, it begs the question, when was the first chocolate made? Not only that, it also begs the question, who do we thank for this tasty, profitable treat?

The answer to these questions isn't exactly straightforward. The first chocolate made, at least in the form we recognize today - the chocolate bar - was in 1847 by a company known as Fry and Sons.

Started by Joseph Fry in Bristol, England, Fry invented the first steam engine for grinding cacao beans. This allowed cacao powder to be produced in large quantities, meaning that chocolate could now be produced in large quantities as well.

Of course, Fry wasn't the first one to grind cacao beans and use the powder in dessert recipes. In London in 1657, the Coffee Mill and Tobacco Roll shop was opened, serving a chocolate drink which, due to the limited availability of chocolate at the time, was expensive, and generally only affordable to the wealthy. So maybe the credit should go to Christopher Columbus then, who first brought cacao beans to Europe in the early 1500s, when chocolate drinks became popular in Spain.

Of course, the owner of the Coffee Mill and Tobacco Roll shop wasn't the first one to make chocolate either, and Christopher Columbus merely brought it to Europe from his travels.

And the winner is ...

So perhaps the credit for the first chocolate made should go the to Olmecs, Aztecs and Mayans who first grew cacao beans and used them in chocolate drinks!

When you look at the interesting facts behind chocolate's history, it's hard to decide who should get credit for first making chocolate! Maybe, then, the credit should go to the long line of people who made the candy what it is today, from the first Olmec farmer to harvest a cacao bean, to Fry and all of those who came after and carried on his passion. Ohh... Let's not forget Mr. Hershey!

So the next time you pull out your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, or your favorite covered strawberry dipped in this rich, dark liquid, be sure to silently thank all of those who can take the credit for taking the humble cacao bean to a product that brings in 18 billion dollars a year.