Introduction

The history of chocolate weaves stories of aphrodisiacs and apostles, inventions and intrigues, folklore and fantasies. Credit for introducing chocolate to Europe goes to Christopher Columbus, who brought cacao beans back with him to King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella of Spain from his fourth visit, in 1502, to the New World. Chocolate consumption in the United States is a healthy 2.6 billion pounds per year, up more than 20% since 1980. By the middle of the seventeenth century, chocolate houses began appearing, the first one in London in 1657, opened by a Frenchman. In addition, chocolate appears to have been used as a medicinal remedy by leading physicians of the day for any number of ailments. During World War II, the United States government recognized chocolate’s importance as a vital source of nourishment, and commissioned Milton S. Hershey to develop a candy bar that the soldiers could carry with them for rations.