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Introduction
Welcome to a diachronic interactive timeline that will explore the history of chocolate and how it has been used over the course of time. The question we will be looking at over the interactive timeline will be: How has the use of chocolate changed over time throughout the world from the 1600s to present day? Throughout this project, there will be artifacts that stand the test of time and explore how chocolate has been implemented in dishes around the world. -
Libro de Cocina
This book is the first cookbook of known history that incorporates recipes involving chocolate. The collection involves many notable recipes for the history of Mexico. An important part of this piece is the acknowledgement of chocolate and showing how important it was in Mexican cuisine. Some examples of the mentioning of chocolate is an instruction on how to make the food. The book explains instructions on how to prepare and serve chocolate, as well as what to mix it with spices. -
A collection of all the statutes now in force, relating to the excise: with an abridgment of the said statutes, and a table of the rates upon the several liquors &c. shewing by what acts they are imposed
This book was a legal guidance that brought up the ability to exercise taxes in Great Britain. This is the first time in recorded history that chocolate is seen as a luxury item rather than just another ingredient in food. Chocolate was seen along the same levels of goods such as coffee, tea, and liquor. This book explained how to regulate and impose trade in the kingdom surrounding chocolate. However, chocolate was also used as infusers for alcohol, which would result in different tax rates. -
Letters patent to Walter Churchman
The letters patent to Walter Churchman was a grant in Great Britain that gave Churchman exclusive rights in chocolate processing. This included his newly found mechanized process for grinding cocoa beans. This ultimately made the process of making chocolate more efficient and more smooth. This is an important step in the manual to automized process of making chocolate. This was one of the first steps in making chocolate more accessible and easily made in order to disperse it to more people. -
The Art of cookery made plain and easy
This cookbook, written in Great Britain by Hannah Glasse, showed straightforward cooking instructions for meals and desserts for citizens of Great Britain. This pertained to chocolate recipes by including chocolate as a luxury item and recipes that had it being used for drinking. For example, hot chocolate and chocolate milk started to become very popular at this time. She also wrote about the health benefits of chocolate as well, like how it can be used as an energizing drink. -
The French cook; or the art of cookery developed in all its various branches
This book written by Louis Eustache Ude is a book written in London by a French chef about French foods and how both cultures foods can coexist. Ude brings in the thought of chocolate being used as a type of sauce on not just desserts but also meat. That type of use was not normal and was seen as outlandish in the 19th century. However, Ude's ideas led to French and English dishes combining ingredient. This signified the transition of chocolate from an exotic import into a regular ingredient. -
Mexican Cookery Manuscript
This manuscript was written in the country of Mexico and is very important to the history of chocolate because it shows the role of chocolate in foods in North America. Also, this was the first time people saw chocolate being combined with nuts and fruits. The native fruits and nuts to North America were being combined with the making of chocolate, sort of like how we see today with coconut chocolate. In this manuscript, however, chocolate was combined with cajetas, a type of fruit preserve. -
The young housekeepers friend
A guide released in 1871 is the first major historical artifact that shows chocolate cake as a popular dessert. There are recipes on how to make chocolate cake while including the optimal thickness and additives that can be used to help the cake taste better determined by the bakers taste. This inclusion shows the growing popularity of chocolate in American culinary culture. Not only that, it also offers the age old recipes for using chocolate as a drink, mostly used for an enjoyable time. -
Culinary ephemera: cocoa & chocolate
In this collection, there are many mentions of chocolate brands such as Nestle and Hershey's that show how companies marketed chocolate as a comforting food. There was also mentions of chocolate being implemented in cookies as an American treat, as well as fudge being promoted during holidays like Christmas. The collections ultimately showed how chocolate turned from an elitist confection to a widely accessible ingredient to many foods and drinks still eaten to this day. -
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Rowntree Chocolate
The Roundtree Chocolate confectionary company based out of Great Britain introduced many chocolate brands such as Aero, Kit Kats, and Black Magic. These chocolates started to become known around the world as sweet treats not only for children, but for adults too. Not only that, these chocolates were affordable and attainable by the average store. As seen before in the past, only the rich could afford chocolate. But now, everyone can enjoy the sweet goodness and find different types all over. -
Culinary Menu: Caribbean
This menu based out of a restaurant on the Caribbean started in 1912 and has been incorporating many different recipes since opening day. This menu truly shows the changing of recipes including chocolate as it has dishes from when the restaurant first opened a century ago, to 2013 dishes that incorporate the same ingredients. -
The 18th-century chocolate champions
A blog written by Tasha Marks goes through the history of chocolate, specifically in London and the United Kingdom. Throughout this blog, she gives examples of how chocolate was used throughout time, such as drinks and medicinal supplements, to the modern usage of chocolate that implements a more hard and solid form. The blog also mentions how it has remained a delicacy through the test of time, and has always been thought of as the delicious treat we view it as today. -
Performing History Through Food: Interpreting Recipes and Cookbooks
An essay written by Beth M. Forrest dives into the performing history of chocolate and how there was a shift in the world of cooking in the 18th century. Chocolate was mentioned as just a beverage starting out in the early stages, with it being made out of cacao, sugar, and spices used to flavor the drink. According to Forrest, "As of 2013, the chocolate kitchen, based on an 18th century inventory..., opened at Hampton Court." This shows the wonderful history of chocolate is kept alive today. -
Works Cited Part 2
- Letters patent to Walter Churchman. [Legal Document].
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Works Cited Part 1
[1631]. Libro de cocina [1631]. [Manuscript Cookbook].- A collection of all the statutes now in force, relating to the excise: with an abridgment of the said statutes, and a table of the rates upon the several liquors c. shewing by what acts they are imposed. London, UK.
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Works Cited Part 3
- [Culinary ephemera: cocoa [[chocolate]]]. Available through: Adam Matthew, Marlborough, Food And Drink in History.