Hot chocolate, also known as hot cocoa or drinking chocolate, is a heated drink consisting of shaved or melted chocolate or cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and usually a sweetener. It is often garnished with whipped cream or marshmallows. Hot chocolate made with melted chocolate is sometimes called drinking chocolate, characterized by less sweetness and a thicker consistency.

Cacao was first domesticated at least 5,300 years ago, in the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in what is present-day Ecuador, and cacao beverages were consumed by the period 2,500–3,000 years ago by the Maya. A chocolate drink was an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 AD. and "hot chocolate", made directly from bar chocolate, which already contains cocoa, sugar, and cocoa butter.

  • Hot chocolate can be made with dark, semisweet, or bittersweet chocolate grated or chopped into small pieces and stirred into milk with the addition of sugar.
  • Cocoa usually refers to a drink made with cocoa powder, hot milk or water, and sweetened to taste with sugar (or not sweetened at all).
  • Instant hot chocolate or hot cocoa mix may be based on cocoa powder, powdered chocolate, or both; often includes powdered milk or comparable ingredients so it can be made without using milk; sugar or other sweeteners; and typically stabilizers and thickeners. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.]]

The cacao tree was domesticated in around 3300BCE, and has been used to make beverages since at least 700BCE.

As of the early Classic period, cacao beverages were consumed by the wealthy from large "spouted vessels" that were often buried with elites. An early Classic period (460–480 AD) Mayan tomb from the site of Rio Azul, Guatemala, had vessels with the Maya glyph for cacao on them with residue of a cacao drink.

At the time of European contact

As the Europeans came upon the Americas, they found the Maya made a chocolate drink. Served cold, the Maya ground cocoa seeds into a paste and mixed it with water, vanilla, cornmeal, chili peppers, and other ingredients.

Within Mesoamerica many drinks were made from cacao beans, and further flavored with flowers like vanilla. Cacao became used as a currency throughout Mesoamerica. The drink tasted spicy and bitter as opposed to sweetened modern hot chocolate, </blockquote>

Introduction to Europe

After its introduction to Europe, the drink slowly gained popularity. The imperial court of Emperor Charles V soon adopted the drink, and chocolate became a fashionable drink popular with the Spanish upper class. Additionally, cocoa was given as a dowry when members of the Spanish royal family married other European aristocrats. At the time, chocolate was very expensive in Europe because the cocoa beans only grew in South America.

Hot chocolate had become a luxury item among the European nobility by the 17th century. Even when the first Chocolate House (an establishment similar to a modern coffee shop) At the time, hot chocolate was often mixed with spices for flavor; one notable recipe was hot chocolate "infused with fresh jasmine flowers, amber, musk, vanilla and ambergris." The aristocratic nature of the drink led to chocolate being referred to as "the drink of the gods" in 1797. The press separated the greasy cocoa butter from cacao seeds, leaving a purer chocolate powder behind.

According to tradition, the Italian version cioccolata calda was first born in Turin around 1560: to celebrate that the capital of the Duchy of Savoy was moved from Chambéry to Turin, Emmanuel Philibert, Duke of Savoy asked for a new beverage, and so this thicker, creamy version was created.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">

File:Chocolate cup Chantilly porcelain 18th century.jpg|Chocolate cup, Chantilly porcelain, 18th century

File:Trembleuse LACMA M.80.204.17a-c.jpg|Trembleuse or Gobelet et soucoupe enfoncé by Sèvres c. 1776 designed for drinking hot chocolate

File:Jean-Etienne Liotard - The Chocolate Girl - Google Art Project.jpg|The Chocolate Girl. Jean-Étienne Liotard, circa 1744

File:Raimundo Madrazo - Hot Chocolate.jpg|A woman (Aline Masson) drinking a cup of chocolate, in a canvas by Raimundo Madrazo

File:Les_Maîtres_de_l'Affiche_-_43_-_Cacao_Van_Houten_(bgw20_0371).jpg|Cacao Van Houten. Poster by Adolphe Willette, 1893

</gallery>

Consumption

Today, hot chocolate in the form of drinking chocolate or cocoa is considered a comfort food and is widely consumed in many parts of the world. European hot chocolate tends to be relatively thick and rich, while in the United States the thinner instant version is consumed more often. Many regions have distinctive additives or toppings, ranging from marshmallow and whipped cream to cheese.

Add-ons

Whipped cream and marshmallows are frequently added to hot chocolate. Theobromine found in the fat-free cocoa solids of the cocoa bean is fat soluble. Cocoa beans contain significant amount of fats, but cocoa powder is usually defatted. However, adding fat to defatted cocoa powder will increase its bioavailability.

Rum is added to hot chocolate to make a Lumumba.

Europe

thumb|Hot chocolate is called in the [[Netherlands.]]

In mainland Europe (particularly Spain and Italy), hot chocolate is sometimes served very thick due to the use of a thickening agent such as cornstarch. One of the thick forms of hot chocolate served in Europe is the Italian .

Hot chocolate with churros is a traditional breakfast in Spain. This style of hot chocolate can be extremely thick, often having the consistency of warm chocolate pudding. In the Netherlands, hot chocolate is a very popular drink, known as . It is often served at home or in cafes. In France, hot chocolate is often served at breakfast time. Sometimes sliced bread spread with butter, jam, honey, or Nutella is dunked into the hot chocolate.

In Germany, hot chocolate made by melted chocolate () is distinguished from those made from powders ().

North America

thumb|Traditional Spanish hot chocolate served with [[churros]]

thumb|[[Latte art on hot chocolate]]

In the United States and Canada, the drink is popular in instant form, made with hot water or milk from a packet containing mostly cocoa powder, sugar, and dry milk. This is the thinner of the two main variations. It is very sweet and may be topped with marshmallows, whipped cream, or a piece of solid chocolate. Hot chocolate was first brought to North America as early as the 17th century by the Dutch, but the first time colonists began selling hot chocolate was around 1755. Traditionally, hot chocolate has been associated with cold weather and winter in the United States and Canada.

Hot chocolate mixed with espresso or coffee under the name of caffè mocha is sold in coffee shops around the United States and elsewhere. This particular name comes from the town Mocha, Yemen, where a specific blend of coffee with the same name is grown.

In Mexico, hot chocolate often includes semi-sweet chocolate, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla. Hot chocolate of this type is commonly sold in circular or hexagonal tablets which can be dissolved into hot milk, water, or cream, and then blended until the mixture develops a creamy froth. A 1942 article in the Chicago Tribune describes Mexican cinnamon hot chocolate as being traditionally served alongside a variety of sweet Mexican pastries, such as pan dulce or churros.

South America

In Colombia, a hot chocolate drink made with milk and water using a chocolatera and molinillo is enjoyed as part of breakfast with bread and soft, fresh farmer's cheese. Colombian hot chocolate is often topped with a soft farmer's cheese or other mild cheese. Similarly, hot chocolate in Ecuador is often topped with cheese.

In Peru, hot chocolate can be served with panettone at breakfast on Christmas Day, even though summer has already started in the southern hemisphere. In addition, many Peruvians will add a sweet chocolate syrup to their drink.

Africa

In Nigeria and Jamaica, hot chocolate is referred to as "tea" due to customs of referring to drinks consumed in the morning as "tea". Alongside coffee, hot chocolate is a popular drink in urban areas of the Ivory Coast to accompany French-style breakfasts that Ivorians sometimes eat.

See also

  • Cacao beverage
  • Cuestión moral: si el chocolate quebranta el ayuno eclesiástico (Whether chocolate breaks ecclesiastical fast: a moral question)
  • Hot chocolate effect
  • List of chocolate drinks
  • Champurrado, hot chocolate's Mexican counterpart
  • Chocolate milk
  • List of hot drinks

References

Further reading

  • Morton, Frederic; Morton, Marcia (1986). Chocolate, an Illustrated History. Crown Publishers. .
  • Turback, Michael (2005). Hot Chocolate. Ten Speed Press. .