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With the first importation of cacao to Spain in 1585, chocolate became a global commodity. It was very difficult to cultivate, harvest, process and was very expensive. World Powers adopted the tastes of Meso-American societies and adapted them to fit their needs; changing and shaping the product and innovating chocolate from a liquid into its most commonly seen solid form. Due to the challenges faced while cultivating, not much has changed since the early days and the intense labor process involved has received much backlash from peoples who understand how major the problem is. Since the globalization of cacao and ever increasing demand for it over the decades; the efforts to cultivate it remain similar to how it’s been done for centuries and no major solution is in sight. Since chocolate is still being enjoyed every day by millions, a push must be done to change these methods in the future to preserve this prized crop.
WHEN WAS CHOCOLATE FIRST CULTIVATED IN AFRICA?
The fire of chocolate production is fueled by slavery, mainly in West African nations which produces three-quarters of the worlds cacao. According to Anti-Slavery International, somewhere around 284,000 or more children work in hazardous conditions on cacao farms, and a significant number of them have been enslaved through the human trafficking that goes on in West Africa. The connection between slavery and cacao is predated by slave use in the production of sugar cane, since chocolate and sugar go hand in hand, almost inseparably, even more slaves were needed in order to keep up the supply for the amount demanded. Although major chocolate manufacturers such as Hershey, Mars and Nestle have claimed that they no longer use child labor in their production of chocolate over twenty years ago, non of them can guarantee that their chocolate hasn’t been produced in that manner.
This booklet produced by Hershey provides the history of the Hershey Chocolate Company as well as a narrative of the discovery and commercialization of cocoa beans. Hershey has always been a leading chocolate producer and they still are a leader second only to Lindt. This pamphlet depicts this, showing the company as being the only thing in North America. The bottom depicts an image of men in South America cultivating the cacao.
"Hershey: The Chocolate Town Booklet”20th centuryPennsylvania, USANational Archives at Philadelphia
“The consolidation of democratic institutions in the last third of the nineteenth century coincided with a significant expansion of French empire building in western Africa, the increased cultivation of chocolate on plantations there, a concomitant rise in its exportation to and consumption in metropolitan France, and the spread of advertising as an important new medium for the creation of demand for brand name products. During this period the use of black men, women, and children to sell chocolate was ubiquitous. The depictions of black people in French posters and packages advertising chocolate were shaped by the racist stereotypes of African peoples widely disseminated in three new communication media targeting mass audiences: newspapers, illustrated gazettes, and ethnographic exhibitions in museums and world fairs.”
- Terrio, Susan Jane. Crafting the Culture and History of French Chocolate. University of California Press, 2000.
“Cocoa Harvesting Machete”20th CenturySmithsonian Institution
This machete was used by workers at the Mars Center for Cocoa Science in Itajuipe, Brazil. Typically these machetes are used for a variety of jobs including harvesting pods, cutting branches and defending themselves from harm.
“American wounded in France.”1914-1918National Archives and Records Administration
This photo shows just how widespread chocolate was in the turn of the 20th century. Soldiers were given cigarettes and chocolate in their supply packs as a way to keep them happy. The interesting thing is that out of every food they could be given they were given chocolate.
“In other words, providing the variety gives a reasonable chocolate flavour, growers should concentrate on the yields, both in terms of the bean size and the amount of come off the land, consistent and proper preparation of the cocoa for market and the all important costs of production. For the grower the best solution is not to rely on the latest method of testing for faults in cocoa but to follow recognised methods of production, post-harvest practice, storage and shipment.” (Dand, 186)
DAND, ROBIN. INTERNATIONAL COCOA TRADE. WOODHEAD, 2017.
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This recipe for frothed chocolate looks like a deliciously old take on hot chocolate. This simple recipe incorporates whipped egg white with sugar on top and is a delicious sounding substitution instead of whipped cream. Chocolate drinks had come a long way since the Xocolatl of the Maya.
Bugbee, J.M. (2014). Cocoa and chocolate: A short history of their production and use: With a full and particular account of their properties, and various methods of preparing them for food. Vallodoilid, Spain: E, Maxtor
“The first information regarding the cultivation of the cacao tree in Mexico is that obtained on the invasion of the country by the Spaniards. Prior to that time there is a total absence of anything definite. The tree flourished best in situations where the mean temperature is between 24 and 28 C. The farther the place of cultivation from the equator and poorer is the product. The other most essential conditions are long continued moisture of the sol and a soft loose texture with abundance of hummus, and above all, shelter from the direct rays of the sun. For these reasons , planters select for their cacao areas ground the virgin soil of which has not been exhausted by the cultivation of other plants.” (Zipperer, 7)
ZIPPERER, PAUL SCHAEFFER HERM. MANUFACTURE OF CHOCOLATE AND OTHER CACAO PREPARATIONS. HANSEBOOKS, 2018.
Bess Truman wrote this recipe during her husband's tenure in the US Senate, despite her purported favorite dessert being Ozark pie. According to her daughter, however, fried chicken and chocolate pie were her "two best dishes." Of her favorite memory with her mother, Margaret Truman:
"We had ordered two of their huge chocolate sodas and were sitting there, smiling at each other in comradely anticipation when Mother exclaimed: “I don’t think I have any money with me.” …She finally produced thirty-four cents. The sodas arrived, and we gazed at their foamy, chocolately, whipped-cream-topped splendor and wondered if we should send them back. We could not remember exactly how much they cost. 'Oh, let’s take a chance,' Mother said." -M. Truman Bess Truman, New Word City, 2014
Recipe for Chocolate BombeTruman, Bess Wallace.c. 1935-1945Harry S. Truman Archives
Making Xocolatl, the ancient chocolate drink of the the Maya. This recipe does include vanilla extract as well as cloves and raw honey which are some optional ingredients. The drink is a step up from your everyday hot chocolate and is best served hot, thick and, with luck, frothy.
These recipes are from “55 Recipes For Hershey’s Syrup” The old recipe booklet is full of deliciously unhealthy treats. Over time, Hershey has become one of the main chocolate producers in the modern world.
Booklet " RecipeCurio.com. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2020, from https://recipecurio.com/ice-creams-55-recipes-for-hersheys-syrup/
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