Product Description

This tale of one of the world's favourite foods draws upon botany, archaeology, socio-economics and culinary history to present a complete history of chocolate. The story begins some 3000 years ago in the jungles of Mexico and Central America with the tree "Theobroma cacao" and the complex processes necessary to transform its bitter seeds into chocolate. This was centuries before chocolate was consumed, traded and used as currency by the sophisticated Maya, and the Aztecs after them. The Spanish conquest of Central America introduced chocolate to Europe, where it became the first stimulating drink of kings and aristocrats and then was democratized in coffee houses. Industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries made chocolate a food for the masses - until its revival in our own time as a luxury item.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #588005 in Books
• Published on: 1996-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 280 pages

Customer Reviews

Fascinating reading, but veering toward academic approach
Have no doubts - this book really does cover the entire history of chocolate, and in incredible detail, However, if you're looking for a book with a lighter approach, this may not be the one for you as it really is a history book. The style of writing is never dull, but it is nevertheless more academic than you might be expecting. If it's a lighter dip-in read that you're after, you might prefer 'The Chocolate Connoisseur' by Chloe Doutre-Roussel (also available through Amazon).

However, don't be too offput by my comments. 'The true history of chocolate' IS a very good book and the fact that you're reading this review must mean that it's a topic of great interest to you. After all, there aren't that many books that deal with this topic in such interesting detail.

This book is a fantastic book - the depth is amazing.
If you are doing some serious research of the history of chocolate, but don't have the time and money to travel around the world, this book is for you. I know there's probably not many people who are this much into chocolate, but for me it's "chocolate" for the mind! :-)

Full of Facts
Full of Facts. A little bit like hard work to get through at times, perhaps a little dry and acedemic, but interesting no the less.