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Chocolate has a long history of being enjoyed to excess by the rich, and indulged as a must have luxury item of the poor and middle class. Some have considered chocolate as a delicacy from heaven as the ingredients are derived from the Theobroma tree in which Theobroma is the Greek word meaning, “food of the Gods.” This unique cacao tree is native to South America and the Amazon Basin. Today, countless chocolate lovers around the world and many cultures utilize it in traditional dishes and desserts. Many people are said to be addicted to chocolate, and is a favorite crutch or vice, that comforts us in times of stress. Some even jokingly choose this dark, sinfully delicious treat as a vehicle to slip into the hereafter as they defiantly shout their battle cry, “Death by chocolate!”

History holds many tales about the development of chocolate, and how it transformed into the treat we know it today. The earliest known association with this delectable dessert is with the Olmec and Aztec civilizations in southern Mexico, about a thousand years after Christ. They used the Theobroma extracts to formulate a sort of chocolate drink. Not exactly Nestle’s Quick, but they surely enjoyed it just the same.

The first solidified form of this sweet treat came centuries later, in the 1700s. It then became possible for hunters and farmers to carry this important form of quick sustenance with them in their pouches, so they could have an short escape from their toil and labor under the sun. Then in 1840, the first commercial chocolate bar was created.

Fry and Sons and the Cadbury company, in a joint effort, formulated the first formed chocolate bar. From then on it was big business! Adding peanuts, almonds, caramel and of course marketing, ensured the continued growth and survival of this new and highly demanded food group. In the middle of the 20th century, an big company named Mars went to battle with a big chocolateer called the Hershey Company, for the right to be recognized as the world leader in chocolate sale. The fought each other with clever campaigns and marketing and out did each other several times over with new and innovative candy combinations. So who won that battle? Just peruse the candy aisle today, and you can see for yourself!