Chocolate History Timeline

Chocolate has ancient roots and was enjoyed in some from over 3000 years ago. Of course, it wasn’t until a couple of hundred years ago that the making of chocolate was industrialized and refined to the levels that we see today. Here is a chocolate history timeline that will help you see how this beloved food has delighted cultures throughout the ages.

2000 BC - Cocoa - the raw product of chocolate is enjoyed in the Amazon

300 AD - Cocoa pods are worshipped by the Mayans - obviously they loved it as much as we do! This culture also had the earliest cocoa plantations.

1200 - The Aztecs take Cocoa worship to new levels and create a thick drink called Xocoatl. They also use cocoa beans for currency.

1492 - When Columbus sailed the ocean blue he brought back cocoa beans for Ferdinand and Isabella - they were not as impressed with the beans as the ancient Mayan and Aztec cultures had been.

1519 - Cortez is introduced to Cocoa in south America. He wasn’t too keen on the drink (now called Chocolatl) but was quite fascinated that he could buy a slave for 100 cocoa beans, a prostitute for 10 cocoa beans and a dinner for 4 cocoa beans.

1528 - Perhaps one of the most important dates on the chocolate history timeline - Cortez brings the drink, Chocolatl, back to Spain with him. The original drink is rather bitter, but they mix in sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla and a new favorite drink is born! Actually the drink was so good that the Spanish nobility kept it a secret from the rest of the world for 100 years!

1585 - Ships laden with cocoa beans intended for selling to the market make their way to Spain.

1609 - Libro en el cual se trata del chocolate - the first book about chocolate and only chocolate is written in Mexico.

1625 - Looks like the Aztecs weren’t the only ones who valued cocoa beans enough to use them as currency because in 1625 Spain 4 cocoa beans were valued the same as 1 Spanish real.

1643 - France gets in on the chocolate craze and everyone is drinking it, especially King Louis XIV who appointed Sieur David illou to manufacture and sell it.

1657 - London opened it’s first chocolate house with many more to follow. At this time chocolate was still being consumed as a drink and became quite a popular past time.

1671 - Chocolate covered almost are discovered by accident in a kitchen mishap. The world is grateful.

1674 - A London Coffee house starts to serve chocolate in cakes and rolls.

1780 - Machine made chocolate is first introduced in Barcelona Spain.

1828 - Invention of the cocoa press
1830 - A date on the chocolate history timeline we can all be thankful for - solid eating chocolate is invented by J. S. Fry and Sons in Britian.

1847 - Chocolate Fondant is introduced.

1875 - Daniel Peter markets the first milk chocolate.

1913 - Jules Sechaud of Switzerland perfects that art of filling chocolates.