Cocoa
The Arrival of Brown Gold: How Cocoa Conquered Africa
Native to the tropical forests of Central and South America, where it was grown and revered by the Maya and Aztec civilisations long before the arrival of the Europeans, the cacao tree…
History
History
The Bitter Legacy: Working Conditions and Social Issues on Cocoa Plantations Through History
Chocolate, that universally loved treat, evokes pleasure, comfort and celebration. Yet behind the sweetness of every square lies a complex history, often marked by a bitter legacy: that of…
History
The Great 19th-Century Inventions That Shaped Modern Chocolate
Before the 19th century, chocolate in Europe was mainly consumed as a drink, often thick, gritty and reserved for a wealthy elite. But during that century of industrial transformation and…
History
The History of the 'Roças': Grandeur and Misery of Colonial Cocoa Plantations in São Tomé and Príncipe
The term "roça" (plural "roças"), of Portuguese origin, evokes vast agricultural estates, true microcosms organised around a cash crop. In the history of cocoa, the roças of São Tomé and…
History
Gods and Chocolate: A History of Divinity and Delight
Chocolate, now enjoyed worldwide, has a rich, deep history going back thousands of years. The ancient Mesoamerican civilisations regarded cocoa not only as a source of food, but…
Cocoa
Tetteh Quarshie: The Man Who Introduced Cocoa Farming to Ghana
Cocoa is today one of Ghana's main crops, making the country one of the world's largest cocoa producers. The introduction of this crop to Ghana is often credited to a visionary businessman…
History
Cocoa in Dutch Guiana
The cacao tree grows naturally in Suriname (Dutch Guiana). Before mass production in 1686, cocoa was already being processed by its inhabitants. This history of cocoa in Suriname is not…
Cocoa
History of Chocolate: Chocolate in the American Colonies
In 2009, Mars Incorporated celebrated the publication of Chocolate: History, Culture and Heritage. The book was the culmination of ten years of collaborative research with UC Davis, which…
Chocolate
History of Chocolate
The history of chocolate can be traced back to the ancient Maya, and even earlier to the ancient Olmecs of southern Mexico. The word chocolate may bring to mind sweet candy bars and…
Cocoa
History of Cocoa
Historians believe the Olmecs first discovered that the cocoa fruit was edible by watching rats eat it with gluttonous vigour. They soon realised the tree produced a fruit with a thousand…
