Who Invented Chocolate, Interesting Facts, History, First Made, Melting Point

Do You Know Who Invented Chocolate ?

When was the First Chocolate Made?

Ah, chocolate. Adored by men and women the world over and worshipped by children young and old, chocolate has a long and glorious history.

The glory for who invented chocolate is shared by many people across the centuries, from the first native tribes to grow cacao beans, to the first intrepid explorer to deliver it from the wild jungles to the chefs of Europe, to the inventor who created the first press to make cocoa powder.

Chocolate has a long and glorious history, and dates back to 1500 BC, when the Olmec, Mayans and Aztecs grew and used cacao beans. Christopher Columbus is credited for being the first European to transport cacao beans to Europe, and in 1657 the first chocolate house opened in London, serving drinks made of chocolate to the upper crust. Back then, chocolate was so expensive that it was exclusively a treat enjoyed by the upper class, although by 1674 it was already being used in many dessert recipes such as cakes and rolls.

And in 1732, the very first chocolate table mill was invented, allowing cacao beans to be ground with greater ease, thus increasing the growing popularity of chocolate.

In the 1800's, the invention of a steam powered cacao bean grinder led to the very first made inception of the chocolate form so widely recognized, known, and loved today - the chocolate bar. Thus Joseph Fry is generally the answer when people ask who invented chocolate.

Of course, Conrad J. Van Houten later invented the hydraulic press that was first used to create cocoa powder, which allowed the powder to be mass produced and shipped. After that, Daniel Peters produced the first milk chocolate bar, and then Rudolphe Lindt invented a way to make chocolate more blendable.

Today, chocolate is simply everywhere. From your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipes, to the book you just bought about the health benefits of chocolate, to the chocolate covered strawberry recipe you googled this morning, Nestles and Hershey milk chocolate is a staple of our daily lives.

So the next time you are eating a sweet, delectable chocolate confection, remember to silently, or not so silently, give thanks to all the people who invented chocolate. Without the Mayans, Christopher Columbus, Joseph Fry, Conrad Van Houten, and the thousands of others who made chocolate their passion, we wouldn't have the Hershey factory, chocolate kisses on Valentines Day, or chocolate fountains on wedding days.

And that would be a sad, sad, non-tasty world.