View the History of Chocolate Timeline.

A Brief History of Chocolate

There is some debate over who was actually the first group to cultivate cacao plant. It was traditionally believed that the Mayans were the first to cultivate the cacao plant, but in The True History of Chocolate, Sophie & Michael Coe, argue that the Olmecs grew cacao much earlier.

We have much more evidence, however, about the Mayans’ use of the crop. As early as 600 BC, the Mayans were cultivating the cacao plant. You may have read in your school books that cocoa beans were used as currency, and that is true, but the Mayans created a chocolate drink. This was an unsweetened drink flavored with spices and chiles that was used for ceremonial purposes such as marriage ceremonies.  In the 14th-15th centuries, the Aztecs gained prominence and traded with the Mayans for cocoa. Aztec royalty and nobility continued to enjoy chocolate drink and introduced it to Cortes.  In 1529, Cortez took chocolate to Spain and started a plantation. Cocoa plantations were established throughout the Spanish colonies.

As with the Aztecs, the Spanish aristocracy embraced the chocolate drink. It was sweetened with sugar and cinnamon and remained a treat for the elite.   In the 1600s, chocolate spread throughout Europe. It stayed among the privileged but found its way into coffeehouses where it was served.  By the 1730s, the price of chocolate was dropping, and chocolate began to find its way down to the middle classes.  The first chocolate factory in America was built in 1765.  In 1828, Van Houten invented the process that separated cocoa butter from the solids. This led to chocolate’s use as an ingredient in cooking.  The first chocolate bar was produced in 1847.  In 1875, milk powder was added by the Swiss to create “milk chocolate.”

The 19th Century gave rise to famous chocolatiers whose companies are still synonymous with chocolate today, including Ghirardelli in San Francisco, Nestle in Switzerland, and Hershey in Pennsylvania. 

1500-400 B.C.    Olmec    
250-900 A.D.       Maya    
1300-1521 A.D.   Aztec    
1502    Fourth Voyage of Columbus    
1521    Cortes conquers the Aztec    
1600    Chocolate spreads throughout European nobility    
1609    The first book about chocolate was published -- Libro en el cual se trata del chocolate    
1753    Linnaeus classifies Theobroma cacao    
1828    Van Houten removes cocoa butter    
1847    First chocolate bar produced    
1852    Ghirardelli incorporated    
1868    Cadbury, Guittard in production    
1879    Peter, Nestle, and Lindt in production    
1894    Hershey begins producing sweet chocolate    
1900    Hershey bar introduced    
1905    Hershey's Kiss    
1908    Toblerone    
1929    Chocolate Covered Cherries    
1930    Toll House Cookies    
1941    M&Ms introduced, Hershey bar delivered to troops overseas.