Recent archæological evidence proves cocoa beans were made into the drink Xocoatl (cacahuaquchtl) and consumed as a normal part of the daily Mayan diet as early as 600BC. The name xocoatl in the Aztec language Nahuatl means "bitter water", "xoco" meaning "bitter", and "atl" or for "water". A related Nahuatl word, cacao (the source of the english word, cocoa) refers to the bean itself, and is also used today to designate the powdered hot drink made from chocolate powder. The botanical name, Theobroma cacao, literally means "food of the Gods". 
The Olmecs and Mayans were the first users of the cacao plant, and used the cacao beans as a currency. Xocoatl was actually a way of "drinking your wealth." Because cocoa beans were valuable, they were given as gifts on occasions such as a child's coming of age and at religious ceremonies. Early explorers to the region found that four cocoa beans could get you a pumpkin, 10 a rabbit, and 100 would buy you a slave. Decendents of the Mayans, the Aztecs were an ancient nomadic people who founded a great city in the Valley of Mexico in 1325: Tenochtitlán. Columbus did not understand the value of cacao when he brought the first cocoa beans to Spain in 1502. He missed the importance of xocolatl, and "had not enjoyed drinking the spicy, scummy liquid, which contained cocoa, cinnamon, aniseed and cornmeal, and therefore probably was not surprised when Ferdinand and Isabella dismissed chocolate as a bizarre tribal concoction."Xocolatl Recipe:
from a translation of "Physitian General for the Kingdome of Spaine"</i>, by Melchor de Lara, published by Antonio Colmenero in 1631 who attributes it to a Marchena physician and then adapted by me
Original:
Of Cacaos, 700
of white Sugar, one pound and a halfe
Cinnamon, 2. ounces
of long red pepper, 14 (Chilparlagua)
of Cloves, halfe an ounce
Three Cods of the Logwood or Campeche tree;
or in steade of that, the weight of 2 Reals, or a shilling of Anniseeds (Vinacaxlidos)
as much of Agiote, as will give it the colour, which is about the quantity of a Hasellnut.
Some put in Almons, kernells of Nuts, and Orenge-flower-water.
The flower of Maiz
Mine:
2 Disks of Ibarra Chocolate (or Nestlé Abuelita)
½ cup of food-grade Cocoa butter
¼ cup of honey (or to taste)
1-6 Serrano peppers (halved and seeds removed while wearing gloves)
¼ tbsp annatto (for colour)
¼ tsp cloves
¼ cup of cornmeal
Special Equipment needed: Blender, two 2 qt. pitchers,
Method:Yield: 8 ounces to serve 6 people.
- In a dry skillet on medium-high heat, toast the cornmeal until it is a pleasant brown, then soak in 1 cup of water overnight. In a blender, grind the soaked corn for a full minute to make a loose, smooth paste. Strain, then grind the remaining corn in the blender with an additional ½ cup of water. Strain. Discard the corn mush.
- Boil 2 cups of water to boil, then add the peppers. Allow to boil until only only one cup remains. Remove the peppers, and set the liquid aside.
- In a large saucepan, add the broken-up the disks of chocolate, the Cocoa Butter, and one cup of water on medium-high heat. Whisk continuously until the chocolate mixture has melted.
- Slowly add in the corn mixture which will act as emulsifier.
- When the corn and chocolate are combined, add the cloves, honey, and annatto.
- Slowly add in small dribbles of the pepper-liquid, tasting the chocolate every few dribbles to test hotness.
- Simmer entire mixture for 10 minutes, whisking constantly.
- Take entire mixture into one of the pitchers and pass from one pitcher to the next to cool and create froth. Serve cold.
The voyage which led Don Cortés to discover Mexico, the Aztec civilisation, and chocolate, began in 1517 when he set sail from Cuba with 11 ships and 600 men, all seeking fame and fortune in the 'New World'. Landing on the Mexican coast near Veracruz, he decided to make his way to Tenochtitlánto see for himself the famed riches of Emperor Moctezuma and the Aztec empire. It was Moctezuma who introduced Don Cortés to his favourite drink, 'chocolatl' - served cold in a golden goblet. Moctezuma is said to have consumed several goblets of 'chocolatl' before entering his harem, leading to the mythical belief that it had aphrodisiac properties. 
From time to time they brought him in cup shaped vessels of pure gold, a certain drink made from cacao which he took when he was going to visit his wives, and at the time he took no heed of it, but what I did see was that they brought over 50 great jugs of good cacao frothed up, and he drank of that, and the women served this drink with great reverence". - Hakluyt's translation of Bernal Diaz del Castillo's account of an Aztec feast of Moctezuma in the 16th century
They brought some in cups of fine gold, with a certain drink made of the cacao itself, which they said was effectual to provoke lustful desires towards women (as they told us in their language) " - Stubbe's translation in 1662 "Indian Nectar" of del Castillo's account of Montezuma's banquet not so timorous as Hakluyt's
In 1519 Cortés tasted chocolate provided by Quetzcoatl at an Aztec banquet. He found the chocolate bitter but chocolate was claimed to have aphrodisiac powers and provide strength. He later wrote a letter to Charles V of Spain calling chocolate "The divine drink which builds up resistance & fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits man to walk for a whole day without food".
During the time of the Aztecs, cocoa was mainly used as a beverage. Wines and drinks were made from white pulp around the seeds of the cocoa pod. The beans themselves were used to make hot or cold chocolate drinks. Both the Maya and the Aztec secular drinks used roasted cocoa beans, a foaming agent (sugar), toasted corn and water. Vanilla and/or chilli were also used as an ingredient in the drinks. The oily layer floating in the chocolate drink (Cocoa butter) was used to protect the skin against the sun.
In May 1520 the Spanish attacked a peaceful Aztec festival and Moctezuma was killed: by July the Aztecs had forced the Spanish out of the city of Tenochtitlán. But after regaining their strength, the Spanish and their allies held the city siege for 75 days, and its fall marked the end of the Aztec civilisation. Today, the great city of Tenochtitlán is known as Mexico City- and the location of human sacrifices that upset Cortés so much is now a cathedral. Cortés was made Captain General and Governor of Mexico. Cortés sailed home to Spain in 1528, after having loaded his galleons with cocoa beans and equipment for making the chocolate drink. Once Don Cortés had provided the Spanish with a supply of cocoa beans and the equipment to make the chocolate drink, a Spanish version of the recipe was devised. Monks in monasteries, known for their pharmaceutical skills, were chosen to process the beans and perfect the drink to Spanish tastes. Cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar were added, the chilli pepper was omitted and it was discovered that chocolate tasted even better served hot.
Chocolate continued to be a controversial subject- while the Aztec version was scorned, the European version was considered sinful. Benzoni said in 1575 "chocolate seemed more a drink for pigs", but was the most expensive merchandise according to the Indians. Johan Franciscus Rauch of Vienna condemned chocolate as an inflamer of passions and in 1624, urged monks not to drink it. The religious conflict continued, when in 1648 Thomas Gage tried to intervene with the Bishop of Chiapas over the congregation drinking chocolate during services. The Bishop was unmoved, preferring the honour of God to his own life, and the congregation went to another church where the friars were not bothered by cocoa drinking. The friars received the stipend that formerly went to the Bishop and the Bishop threatened excommunication. Poisoned chocolate was sent to the Bishop and Gage fled Chiapas.When chocolate finally reached England in the 1650s, the high import duties on cocoa beans meant it was a drink only for the wealthy. Chocolate cost the equivalent of 50-75 pence a pound (approximately 400g), when pound sterling was worth considerably more than it is today. Gradually chocolate became more freely available. In 1657, London's first
Chocolate House was opened by a Frenchman, who produced the first advertisement for the chocolate drink to be seen in London:
In Bishopgate St, in Queen's Head Alley,
at a Frenchman's house,
is an excellent West Indian drink
called Chocolate to be sold,
where you may have it ready at any time
and also unmade at reasonable rates.
Fashionable chocolate houses were soon opened where the people could meet friends and enjoy various rich chocolate drinks, many of which were rather bitter to taste, while discussing the serious political, social and business affairs of the day or gossiping. Samuel Pepys, the famous diarist, wrote of his visits to chocolate houses: "Went to Mr Bland's and there drank my morning draft of chocollatte." The most famous one was White's Chocolate House in the fashionable St James Street, opened in 1693 by Frances White, an Italian immigrant. By the end of the 18th century, London's chocolate houses began to disappear, many of the more fashionable ones becoming smart gentlemen's clubs. White's Chocolate House is to this day an exclusive gentlemen's club in St James', London.The curative aspects of Chocolate seemed to replace the sinful ones byt the beginning of the Eighteenth century. In 1724 Dr Richard Brookes claimed that chocolate "prolonged life and cured ringworm and ulcers". He also suggested cocoa butter for "skin treatment, piles and gout". In 1796 Lavedan described chocolate as "divine, celestial drink... panacea & universal medicine".
Chocolat De Velours
A new recipe that I perfected yesterday
2 cups whole milk
½ cup cocoa
3 egg whites
1 tbsp Vanilla
¼ cup of Chocolate shavings
¼ finely crushed Hazelnuts
Method:
- Break up the chocolate, add to the milk and place in a medium saucepan on high heat.
- Bring to a gentle boil, using a wire whisk to blend until fully melted.
- In a seperate bowl, beat the egg whites until standing in stiff peaks, then fold ¼ of the chocolate mixture into the eggs.
- Return the blended mixture to the saucepan.
- Cook 2-3 more minutes on low heat.
- Top with Chocolate shavings and a sprinkle of Hazelnuts.
Yield: Two 8oz servings.
This post updates a previous Xocoatl post.
- Music:Sneaker Pimps - Bloodsport
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Comments
this was all very interesting, thank you.
I wish I wasn't allergic to peppers so I could try that recipe out.
The second, however, if amazing, if i do say so myself (=
Have you ever tried Mexican hot chocolate? Good stuff, man. ;-)
thank goodness it is all easy to make, eh? (=
Mmm... Or you can just melt cinnamon sugar into it- mmm.. but theirs is just so much better somehow. (=
Goodness. You are almost as much of a food snob as I am. (=
My empire is impressive, isn't it? *Evil Cackle*
Many thanks for the original xocoatl recipe, as well as the latter recipe (the anal-retentive nerd inside me [OK, outside me, too] wants to say it should be 3 egg whites, since the yolks are not used).
And yes- The Moctezuma is tricky- I was always taught Montezuma myself. Oh the wonders of self education.
(=
Ever since you posted this, I've been meaning to direct your attention to this book. According to Schivelbusch, in certain parts of Europe, chocolatl wasn't considered sinful at all -- quite on the contrary, Catholics were encouraged to drink it during fast days! I don't have the book with me and I don't remember the bulk of the argument, but it was very entertaining.
So. I became reaquainted. Delicious.
Now I am considering taking up smoking. mainly because of the chemical effects that nicotine has. However- the smell and tar is problematic- so I've been musing about the patch- but- doesn't that seem weird? I don't know. heh.
From a sociological viewpoint, I find it interesting, that of the people who have LJ's I know from school, and I met before I found their LJ, their LJ's tend to be boring and sparse compared to a lot of my other friends who I don't know in person, or I met through LJ before I met in person.
Like, I can't imagine any of them ever writing any thing like this..I can imagine myself almost writing something like this...and then be complained at by those same people for writing too much without using a LJ-cut...why do they even bother to read this? Well, they aren't all like that, just some of them..
In any case, good jorb!
It is weird- most of the people I know "in real life" have awful journals. They detail out their day to day lives. There are a few exceptions. Most of the people I am most drawn to here are artists in some way- and they share their art here. I don't really know what my journal is 'about', and I don't know if I'd even want to read it if I hadn't written it- but, I do put a lot of effort into it- and the presentation of it.
I guess the people with mundane journals just put themselves into other things.
I stumbled across your journal while idly clicking on my friends of friends page. Rather sadly, now I'm here I am wishing I had found you earlier. This is a lovely journal.
I hope you don't object to me friending you. I do this to ensure that should you start writing again, I won't miss out.
Thankyou.
Your journal is nifty, so I befriended you. Hope you don't mind.
No matter, this is a part of the new one, and I'd be honored to regain your friendship...
As you may have noted, I have ceased writing at Livejournal for the near future, but I do thank you kindly for your note.
Let me know when the island is ours for the taking!
Your journal is absolutely beautiful. It is what I wish I had time to do.
I am sorry that I no longer utilise Livejournal, however, your very kind comments are well received. My journal was always intended as a place where I could be artistic, scatterbrained, but methodical regarding my tastes and interests. I have no doubts that you will find your own discriminatng style.
Best of luck.
In appreciation, I'd like to share a comment posted in my own LJ in response to a chocolate post heavily Kiadised:
Thank you kindly!
"Decendents of the Mayans, the Aztecs ..."
They came later in time, but they were not descendants of the Mayans. They were distinct in language, in geography, in religion, in habits, in architecture, and in many aspects of culture. It's like saying the Romans were descendants of the Greeks, or the Greeks of the Egyptians. There's some connection and influence, but not wholesale descent.