Chocolate has a very interesting history. It all started over 4,000 years ago in ancient Mesoamerica. Chocolate did not start out as a bar, but as a bitter drink. The Mesoamericans fermented, roasted, and grounded cacao beans into a paste and mixed it with water and spices to create their drink. Advancing to the Olmec, Mayan and Aztec civilizations, they too found chocolate to be an invigorating drink, one so mood enhancing, they thought it possessed mystical and spiritual qualities. By the 16th century, thanks to Spanish conquistadors like Hernan Cortes, Spain began to make chocolate a representation of wealth and power. They also kept chocolate to themselves until 1615, when Spain’s daughter of King Philip II married King Louis XIII of France
