Waking up and discovering I was in for a cold day cold by Californian standards, my thoughts turned to how nice it would be to have a cup of that warm dark chocolate drink, Cocoa with its sweet aroma slowly trickling down my throat; a picture of my childhood Minnesota days flashed before me... my mother pouring from my thermos steaming hot cocoa into my cup sitting next to my liverwurst sandwich. Yep, you guessed it! Even before my micro wave beeped informing me that my warm delicious brew awaited me, my inquisitive mind flashed the question before me, Where did this sinfully delectable drink I was anticipating slowly sipping while letting the aroma from its steam seep through my nostrils originate? So, I called Google and asked," Just where did this delectable drink, called cocoa originate?" As always his reply was not only informative it was surprising. "Cocoa, he replied, cocoa derived from the Aztec word cacahuatl; the Olmecs, the oldest civilization of the Americas (1500-400 BC), were probably the first users of cocoa, followed by the Maya, who not only consumed cacao-based drinks made with beans from their plantations in the Chontalpa region; who drank a drink called 'chocolatl' made from roasted cocoa beans, water and a little spice." "Furthermore," he added," the cocoa were quite valuable; the Maya's not only used the beans as a currency, they were given as gifts at ceremonies such as a child is coming of age and at religious ceremonies." So the next time you set with a friend drinking cocoa on a cold day, you can tell them, that delectable warm dark drink seeping between your lips and trickling ever so slowly down your throat as you savor its sweet aroma and taste, It not only has historical value...It has economical value as well. Well at least to the ancient cultures and to today's modern coffee houses. |
