Kakao History

Legend has it that the feathered god of the wind Quetzalcóatl brought mankind Kakao from the kingdom of heaven. This makes the Greek name Theobroma cacao, translated "food of the gods," very appropriate. Aztec leaders are said to have sipped the sacred bean daily. In the form of a pungent, bitter drink. In addition to Kakao beans, it contained a wide variety of spices, chili, allspice and wild honey. It is said that King Montezuma II devoured up to 50 cups before devoting himself to his lovers. So it makes perfect sense that cacao was declared currency. 10 beans for a rabbit and a whopping 100 for a slave.

With the announcement at the royal court, the addition of sugar and spices like vanilla began. The Spaniards kept the food of the gods to themselves for a century before, through an international marriage, they came out with the secret. And soon there were chocolate houses in the posh corners of Europe. The nobility knew how to sweeten their time.

When Daniel Peter and Henri Nestlé invented milk chocolate in 1875, the healing effect of Kakao was gone. What remained was an over-sweetened industrial product with strong addictive potential.