"From its origin as the sacred, bitter drink of South American rulers to the familiar candy bars sold by today's multimillion dollar businesses, people everywhere have fallen in love with chocolate, the world's favorite flavor...Join science author HP Newquist as he explores chocolate's fascinating history."--

“A beautifully written . . . and illustrated history of the Food of the Gods, from the Olmecs to present-day developments.”—Chocolatier This delightful tale of one of the world’s favorite foods draws on botany, archaeology, and culinary history to present a complete and accurate history of chocolate. It begins some 4,000 years ago in the jungles of Mexico and Central America with the chocolate tree, Theobroma Cacao, and the complex processes necessary to transform its bitter seeds into what is now known as chocolate. This was centuries before chocolate was consumed in generally unsweetened liquid form and used as currency by the Maya and the Aztecs after them. The Spanish conquest of Central America introduced chocolate to Europe, where it first became the drink of kings and aristocrats and then was popularized in coffeehouses. Industrialization in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries made chocolate available to all, and now, in our own time, it has become once again a luxury item. The third edition includes new photographs and revisions throughout that reflect the latest scholarship. A new final chapter on a Guatemalan chocolate producer, located within the Pacific coastal area where chocolate was first invented, brings the volume up-to-date.

This programme is designed to encourage independent reading and covers a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction titles. This text tells the story of chocolate.

Audisee® eBooks with Audio combine professional narration and sentence highlighting to engage reluctant readers! How does a cocoa bean become a delicious chocolate bar? Cocoa beans ripen. Workers open the pods. Next the sun dries the beans. The beans are roasted. Find out what step happens next in the process of making chocolate.

Chocolate is a favorite treat for many people, but where does it come from? What is it made from? How is it turned into the sweet treats people love? Tackle your hunger for knowledge with this informative book on chocolate.

Presents the making and history of chocolate, from it original use in ancient Mexico, to its introduction into Europe in the sixteenth century, to its worldwide manufacture and consumption today as a favorite food.