An influential elixir--hot chocolate.

LIQUID CHRONICLES

From the old worlds of Christopher Columbus and the Conquistadors to the new world of cocoa lattes and double mochaccinos, hot chocolate has come full circle. A single bronzed bean transformed a bitter beverage into a beloved one, even more groundbreaking, subtly bridging class lines. Those special cacoa beans, once strictly reserved for Aztec royalty, have, centuries later, blended cultures. Consider the confluence next time you slip on a java jacket and exchange casual quips at the internet cafe, Paris tea salon or green-goliath chain--Star-what?

UNCOVER A CUP OF MYSTERY

Cocoa and water. Add a little chemistry. A simple compound, it seems. But inside that pulp of alien pod is a dark purple seed with potentially exotic powers. The scientific name, "Theobroma Cacao," or "food of the gods" was worshiped as an idol by the Mayans over 2,000 years ago. Don Hernan Cortes first tasted cacao or 'Xocolatl' (coined by the Aztecs), later renamed 'Chocolatl' (Chocol = hot + atl = water) by the Spaniards, when Emperor Montezuma entertained conquistadors in the early 1520s. Conflicting stories suggest Columbus was the first--apart from discovering the New World--to bring the bean across the sea to the Spanish court 20 years earlier. Columbus seems always to be at the forefront of controversy.

Then, when chocolate was sipped, it was a watery, caustically-cold drink made from crushed cacoa beans--served to those conquistadors in golden goblets. How else to honor an unfamiliar flavor but with the finest dishware? Maybe it was the novelty of this specialty drink or its mythical nutritive properties, but the steamy details were kept closely in check, known only by a few fortunate souls "in the loop." Perhaps on these initial samplings, the Spaniards exercised a degree of politeness. Not much later they are credited with having added sugar to the original recipe of ground cacoa beans, water and chili pepper--their taste buds sensing an incongruity. The tale is further intertwined. It's been said that several monks with a pension for gossip helped move the mocha across continents--to Europe. One can only speculate if some of these stories haven't been sent up from the Department of Urban Legend.

ONE CHOCOLATL. TO GO--HOLD THE MARSHMALLOWS

William Hickling Prescott wrote in his 1838, The History of the Conquest of Mexico: "Montezuma took no other beverage than the chocolatl, a potation of chocolate, flavored with vanilla and spices, and so prepared as to be reduced to a froth the consistency of honey, which gradually dissolved in the mouth and was taken cold." A vivid report of chocolatl! The Emperor was known to sling a cold one back just before entering his harem. And so it seduced Montezuma and his guests. It is thought the theobromine, a medicinal property, acts as a stimulant, since it is an xanithine, a substance similar to that found in coffee.

BEAN BORDELLOS

By the 17th century word of this new, sweetened chocolate libation traversed the English Channel becoming more widely available to those who could afford it. Chocolate houses dotted the English landscape, London anchoring the movement. Here, the feature attraction was motivated by alternative means, part of a counter culture, drunk for social purposes, clearly spelling out status. Chocolate houses showcased more than the peculiar magic potion (now, courtesy of the English prepared with milk), but more important to the equation, food and gambling--Tomfoolery for the elite. History shows us, even then, exploitation of a "hot" concept can be carried as far as the consumer will allow it.

"It flatters you for a while, it warms you for an instant; then all of a sudden, it kindles a mortal fever in you."

Marie, Marquise de Sevigne, 17th century

Certainly chocolate houses have changed. So too have the tools identifiable with this trade. Modern mechanics proved prolific in hot chocolate's rise to reverence. Advent of the efficient steam engine by Thomas Savery in 1698 led to mechanical grinding. This ultimate sort of mass manufacturing gave chocolate a much wider audience as did the falling price of cacoa beans in the early 1700s, with the reduction of heavy import duties in 1853. This was no longer a drink reserved only for the elite. Contributing too, the invention of the cacoa bean press (1828) by Dutchman, Conrad Van Houten. Distinctive for removing part of the cocoa butter (a natural occurrence in the cocoa bean) the press pulverized the cacoa into the powder we know now as "cocoa," lending the drink a newfangled smoothness. This helped further liaise chocolate with the general drinking public. Indeed, times have changed, but the idea of improvement has not. Modern machinery has tendered a similar effect, even more modest brainchilds. Enter 2003 and a favorite new tool in modern pastry kitchens, the immersion blender. How simple to quickly liquefy a drink before service or smooth out hot ganache.

WHAT CAME FIRST? THE CHOCOLATE OR THE HOT CHOCOLATE?

In question is where the cacoa plant came from, We know the plant thrives in tropical environments within 20 degrees North and South of the equator, where the balance of temperature, rainfall and soil are just right. This narrows the enigma.

Whether the first cacoa plants were native to Brazil, the Orinoco Valley region of Venezuela or Central America is unknown. Regardless, the growing conditions are similar. The cacoa plantations are usually in valleys or coastal plains, where the soil and drainage are good and the rainfall balanced. Successful cacoa crops have been found on the Ivory Coast and in Brazil, Ghana and Nigeria. But cacoa is king in Cameroon, top dog in the Dominican Republic, virile in Venezuela. And the laundry list continues on--to Ecuador and Costa Rica, try Trinidad and Tobago, no mistaking Mexico, okay in Jamaica, don't forget Haiti, New Guinea, Samoa, then there's Java. That's some heady geography.

The humble bean. One can only wonder how its history would have tasted had it not fallen into the hands of nobility. Surely, the bean has transcended time; from the bland and thin to the spice-scented, easing into a sweet solace, laced with milk and sugar--sometimes honey. Hot chocolate has appeared in various form: as an aphrodisiac, a Bohemian fancy, a choice targeted to and preferred by children, and now, an appealing elixir catering to the weakness of mild adult dependency and those warm liquid memories of childhood. Here's to a beverage with bitter-sweet beginnings.

And if you are still wondering what came first--

Surely, one can't have a conquistador spilling his Grande Chocolatl on his ceremonial dress. If only there was a way to solidify that chocolate ...