3 COLONIAL CONSUMPTION: Chocolate in Colonial Times: Consumption in Europe and the Americas
3 COLONIAL CONSUMPTION:
Chocolate in Colonial Times: Consumption in Europe and the Americas
After colonizing Mexico and Central America and “discovering” cacao and chocolate, Spain brought cacao beans and its chocolate drink back to Spain and the royal court. Chocolate had reached Europe. In Europe, chocolate became useful as a food and a medicine.
As a commodity, edible, and medicine, it quickly became popular and sought after among the elite of Spain. It was a luxury import item because it took so much effort to prepare, and as in Mesoamerica, the elite of Spain were the consumers. “We saw the first arrival of chocolate to Spain in the 1540s with a delegation of Maya natives who arrived bearing gifts, chocolate among them. It was exotic and a luxury.” (Lecture 3)
Chocolate eventually became more and more accessible to middle class consumers at home, inns and public houses. Specific tools to be made and distributed with the cacao beans and chocolate. “It became more common and by the early 17th century chocolate and the paraphernalia used in its consumption were regularly included in shipments from the Americas.” (Lecture 3) Chocolate was made with tools such as the molinillo, a tool used for stirring and whipping the highly prized froth on top of the chocolate drink; a chocolate pot, specifically formed for pouring the chocolate from on high to create foam; and the mancerina, a special ceramic fired cup and saucer with a wide brim and a raised edge for people with weakened hands or medical conditions. This style of cup had existed for centuries prior. (Wikipedia.com)
Spain kept chocolate a big secret for a hundred years, at least in as much if someone didn’t visit the court or go to a pageant, it would not be available to them. It is interesting that it didn’t make its way to Europe sooner, but considering that the Spanish Inquisition was going on, they were probably more interested in expelling people rather than welcoming them into Spain. “At first chocolate was an expensive drink confined to the Spanish court and nobility. It was drunk in the court but also in public displays and pageants, such as the inquisition trials, and bull fights. So the first records of it in Europe portray a substance of value only because it was exotic. (Lecture 3) Chocolate's effect, which we now know to be related to caffeine and other chemicals, must have seemed like a medicine because it had an effect on the human body, which a number of people wrote about extensively.
Amazingly enough, it took over a hundred years for chocolate to start traveling to the rest of Europe, perhaps spread by people who discovered it in Spain or who were given it as gifts. There are different sources of where it started appearing, but nothing conclusive as to how it finally reached France, and other countries. “Spain kept chocolate somewhat of a secret for nearly a century before it was introduced to other countries. The first evidence of chocolate being drunk outside of Spain comes from Tuscany…From there it spread through France. From there chocolate spread to Germany, Austria and Switzerland.” (Lecture 3)
Then chocolate traveled to England. However, it was considered very medicinal. It could be mixed with other ingredients to form a medicine specific to an ailment that someone might be suffering. People were considered to be afflicted with the humors of the body, which affected people in different ways. “In the UK, chocolate expanded during the second half of the 17th century. It appeared in cookbooks in the 1650s defined as a native drink… consumption was more widespread than in the continent although it was very expensive…chocolate was for those who could afford it, in the rest of Europe it was still for the nobility only.” (Lecture 3)
In England, chocolate was part of socializing at home, in pubs, inns, at all stratas of society. Chocolate was also established as a food that was good for you. Chocolate began to get past being just for medicinal purposes, and started to become a social drink. It was still expensive, but became more accessible to the middle classes. Basically, if you could afford it, you could drink it. “The first chocolate houses were established in London and drinking chocolate became an established part of the 18th century breakfast.” There were several famous chocolate houses in England - one was White’s and another was The Cocoa Tree.
Chocolate came back across the ocean to North America, where it became more common, probably since it was closer to the source by ocean in Mesoamerica. American colonists of all classes consumed chocolate for varying purposes. Chocolate was commonly served in public places and private homes. Chocolate had been transformed into a household staple beloved by most.
Bibliography
de Orellana, Margarita, et al. “CHOCOLATE II: Mysticism and Cultural Blends.” Artes de México, no. 105, 2012, pp. 73–96. https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.csun.edu/stable/24319003.
de Orellana, Margarita, et al. “Chocolate III: RITUAL, ART AND MEMORY.” Artes de México, no. 110, 2013, pp. 72–96. https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.csun.edu/stable/24318995
Juarez-Dappe, Patricia. “History of Chocolate Class 429, Lecture 3.” California State University Northridge. Fall 2023. csun.edu.
Loveman, Kate. “The Introduction of Chocolate into England: Retailers, Researchers, and Consumers, 1640-1730.” Journal of Social History, vol. 47, no. 1, 2013, pp. 27–46, https://doi.org/10.1093/jsh/sht050. https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.csun.edu/stable/43306044
Walker, Timothy. “Cure or Confection in the Portuguese Royal Court and Colonial Hospitals, 1580 - 1830.” Class Handout. <https://canvas.csun.edu/courses/135263/files/21255155?module_item_id=5726898>
Wikipedia contributors. "Trembleuse." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 31 Oct. 2023. Web. 25 Nov. 2023. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trembleuse>
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