The Story of Chocolate
The past couple of months has been weird for everyone. We are in the middle of a pandemic and it has affected our schooling in a major way. We are no longer learning in a school building but instead from our homes. Our entire education has been moved online. This includes our regular classes and field experiences. In our humanities class called food for thought, we have been discussing agriculture and how and when it all started. We had opportunities to meet with some people who professionally get to think about the origins of food.
In this action project, we have been asked to choose a food item that has some significance to our families. I chose to use chocolate. Chocolate is a big thing in my family. It is always there in some form at any gathering. It is a favorite food for many in my family.
Prior to this action project, I created a family showing a little bit of my family's origin.
Click here to view family tree
Script:
Hello my name is chocolate. I am 3,600 years old and was born near Ecuador in South America. I come from a cocoa bean. I moved to Central America when I was young with some farmers. I was moved around a lot but when I was in a place called Mesoamerica. I was known as “food of the gods” I don’t really know why they called me that because I was just cocoa but it was nice to get attention. Some people turn me into a drink that was bitter. People loved me, they even used me as currency. That’s how valued I was. But then there were some conquistadors, I was taken by a man named Hernán Cortés, he took me to a place they call Spain. They added sweeteners like sugar and honey. I was known as a luxury, a symbol of wealth, and power. I eventually got so popular I was taken to the rest of Europe. I spent some time with this guy, I think his name was Louis the 13th. I got super popular and they wanted a lot more of me so they created plantations in equatorial regions to grow more. They had people from Africa come work on the plantations forcefully. I felt a little...trapped at this point. I did not like the idea of people working against their will. At some point around the 1800s, some people created a bunch of inventions that basically made it so they could use me in other ways than just a drink. Fun fact, it takes 400 cocoa beans to make 1 pound of chocolate. Today I can be found in any grocery store. I am found in many different forms today. You'd be surprised as to how things people have incorporated me into. The weirdest way that comes to mind is cheese, yes I said cheese. I can be used in many recipes. In fact there's this family that I have encountered more than a couple of times. They are kind of obsessed with me, but it all started when I got to America, specifically the United States. This family is known as the Hamernicks. They enjoy using me as a tradition. They use me in many different recipes and invite me to all of their family gatherings. I have had a long and difficult life. Throughout the years I have been used in different ways. I am happy that I do not have to just sit on a tree, I have a purpose and that is to help serve others even if that means that I am being served. Thank you for listening to my story, I hope it makes you want to think more about the origins of your everyday foods.
Works Cited:
Davis, Nicola. “Origin of Chocolate Shifts 1,400 Miles and 1,500 Years.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 29 Oct. 2018, www.theguardian.com/science/2018/oct/29/origin-of-chocolate-shifts-1400-miles-and-1500-years-cacao-ecuador.
Klein, Christopher. “The Sweet History of Chocolate.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 14 Feb. 2014, www.history.com/news/the-sweet-history-of-chocolate.
Solly, Meilan. “Cacao Was First Cultivated in South America, Not Mexico and Central America.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 30 Oct. 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cacao-was-first-cultivated-south-america-not-mexico-and-central-america-180970663/.
Szalay, Jessie. “Chocolate Facts, Effects & History.” LiveScience, Purch, 28 Mar. 2018, www.livescience.com/61754-chocolate-facts.html.
Click here to view family tree
Script:
Hello my name is chocolate. I am 3,600 years old and was born near Ecuador in South America. I come from a cocoa bean. I moved to Central America when I was young with some farmers. I was moved around a lot but when I was in a place called Mesoamerica. I was known as “food of the gods” I don’t really know why they called me that because I was just cocoa but it was nice to get attention. Some people turn me into a drink that was bitter. People loved me, they even used me as currency. That’s how valued I was. But then there were some conquistadors, I was taken by a man named Hernán Cortés, he took me to a place they call Spain. They added sweeteners like sugar and honey. I was known as a luxury, a symbol of wealth, and power. I eventually got so popular I was taken to the rest of Europe. I spent some time with this guy, I think his name was Louis the 13th. I got super popular and they wanted a lot more of me so they created plantations in equatorial regions to grow more. They had people from Africa come work on the plantations forcefully. I felt a little...trapped at this point. I did not like the idea of people working against their will. At some point around the 1800s, some people created a bunch of inventions that basically made it so they could use me in other ways than just a drink. Fun fact, it takes 400 cocoa beans to make 1 pound of chocolate. Today I can be found in any grocery store. I am found in many different forms today. You'd be surprised as to how things people have incorporated me into. The weirdest way that comes to mind is cheese, yes I said cheese. I can be used in many recipes. In fact there's this family that I have encountered more than a couple of times. They are kind of obsessed with me, but it all started when I got to America, specifically the United States. This family is known as the Hamernicks. They enjoy using me as a tradition. They use me in many different recipes and invite me to all of their family gatherings. I have had a long and difficult life. Throughout the years I have been used in different ways. I am happy that I do not have to just sit on a tree, I have a purpose and that is to help serve others even if that means that I am being served. Thank you for listening to my story, I hope it makes you want to think more about the origins of your everyday foods.
Works Cited:
Davis, Nicola. “Origin of Chocolate Shifts 1,400 Miles and 1,500 Years.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 29 Oct. 2018, www.theguardian.com/science/2018/oct/29/origin-of-chocolate-shifts-1400-miles-and-1500-years-cacao-ecuador.
Klein, Christopher. “The Sweet History of Chocolate.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 14 Feb. 2014, www.history.com/news/the-sweet-history-of-chocolate.
Solly, Meilan. “Cacao Was First Cultivated in South America, Not Mexico and Central America.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 30 Oct. 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cacao-was-first-cultivated-south-america-not-mexico-and-central-america-180970663/.
Szalay, Jessie. “Chocolate Facts, Effects & History.” LiveScience, Purch, 28 Mar. 2018, www.livescience.com/61754-chocolate-facts.html.
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