The So-Called Bitter Sweet

What else can they call it? Some call it an elixir, some call it love, and for some, it's just chocolate. Yes, you read that right, today's topic is "bitter sweet chocolate"!

Chocolate, Chocolade, Chocolat, and many more names are given to it in different languages. But where does the name "chocolate" really come from?

The history of chocolate is believed to date back to the 1500s. The word "chocolate" comes from the Aztec language; it originated from the words "Choco," meaning "noise" due to the loud sound produced by grinding cocoa beans in a mortar, and "atl," meaning "water." Before the Mayans, the Olmecs are known to have used cocoa trees, and the word "cocoa" itself comes from the Olmec language.

If it weren't for the Mayans, what would have become of chocolate today?

The Mayans gave cocoa the significance it deserved, assigning it a divine meaning, and its importance reached its peak. For the Mayans, cocoa held such importance that it had a special place in all ceremonies. They were also the first to transform cocoa butter into chocolate. In fact, the scientific name of the cocoa tree, "Theobroma Cacao," means "Food of the Gods." Thus, chocolate, our sweetest friend that never leaves us, even when we want to leave it, has its roots dating back to the 1500s.

But everyone kills their beloved!

Don Cortez, a Spanish navigator, changed the course of the world with his discovery in 1528. But who is this man? Cortez can be seen as the Steve Jobs of the 1500s, being the first to introduce chocolate as a commercial beverage to us. This discovery quickly spread worldwide; chocolate production expanded to Italy in 1606, France in 1615, and to England in 1657. Historians estimate that by the early 1700s, there were 2,000 chocolate factories in London alone. Chocolate was booming!

Italian clergy fell in love with this miracle, but there was one thing they forgot… But everyone kills their beloved: Pope Clement XIV, unable to resist the booming sound of chocolate, fell victim to its dagger. It is a well-known fact that he died from poison hidden in his beloved milk chocolate.

Who discovered this chocolate? Stand up quickly to the board!

Edible chocolate first emerged in the mid-19th century. Can you guess which country? We might receive answers like Belgium, but we must politely reject them, because it was the British who introduced the first chocolate. Britain and Switzerland were the first to see chocolate. But just before them, the Dutchman Van Houten didn't sit idle. Van Houten worked diligently to be the first to catch this trend and, in 1828, he pressed cocoa beans to extract their butter, subjected them to a chemical process through a grinder, and obtained cocoa powder. Our Dutch friend's discovery marked the beginning of chocolate as we know it today. Soon after, the Britishman Joseph Fry introduced edible chocolate to our lives. Of course, while these inventions were being made, a voice from the Swiss Alps said, "I removed the excess water from milk and added chocolate instead. It turned out to be very nice." Thus, the Swiss Daniel Peter initiated the "Milk chocolate or dark chocolate?" dilemma.

Cocoa Powder: Van Houten from the Netherlands Edible Chocolate: Joseph Fry from England Milk Chocolate: Daniel Peter from Switzerland

So when did it come to Turkey?

Turkey's first locally-producing chocolate factory was established in 1927, three years after the Republic, in Feriköy. But if you ask if chocolate came to Turkey in 1927, our answer is no; the first taste of chocolate dates back to the Ottoman period. It is said that the Italian traveler Gemelli Careri introduced us to chocolate. The traveler, who arrived in Izmir in 1693, ignited the fire of this love with the hot chocolate he offered to those around him. However, it is not very likely that the public was aware of this, as in Europe, this was a pleasure only experienced by the palace circles at that time.

Perhaps we didn't discover chocolate first, but our only goal until the end is to give chocolate to everyone!

For over 500 years, chocolate has been a remedy for sorrows, a shoulder to cry on, and a cause for happiness. With love from us to chocolate,

Elvan Food will always keep you in your best form, just as it keeps Fiorella Elegance at the top!

Bonus Information:

"Bro, it looks a bit weird, but I think it's edible."

Traces of the oldest chocolate found to date were discovered inside a 2600-year-old pot.