The Guardian of Chocolate?

If you are keen on reading about the long history of chocolate, you probably have read somewhere that chocolate and Aztecs come hand in hand. Aztecs have associated cacao trees with the god of agriculture, Quetzalcoatl. According to myths, Quetzalcoatl was the one who brought cacao to the Earth. But such actions didn’t exactly make his superiors happy so he got kicked out of the heavens for giving it to humans. As he escaped, he swore to return one day as a “fair-skinned bearded man” to save the earth.

The earliest Aztecs highly thought of the cacao plant. They believed it to be a great source of strength and wealth and Quetzalcoatl was its guardian, or so they say. This pretty much explains why cacao beans are so special that they were even used as their form of currency at that time.

The Aztecs were among the first ones to work around with cacao beans, but they didn’t make use of it for any culinary purpose at first. They only developed interest in its edibility after observing certain animals, particularly monkeys. Only the pulp of the cacao tree was utilized then, only after a certain stretch of time did they begin using the beans, too.

Myth has it that since Quetzalcoatl left the Aztec empire, people have been awaiting his return. While patiently waiting, they sent offerings of cocoa beans and chocolate drink. Because of their high hopes, when they saw a ship nearing their shores, they instantly thought it was Quetzalcoatl. The Europeans took this vulnerability as a chance to easily conquer their lands, and they were obviously successful with their invasion

Chocolate’s history is indeed covered in legends and myths, not to mention depressing stories. But all these stuff make chocolate all the more interesting and entertaining.

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