![]() ![]() Mexican chocolate is generally categorized by the amount of sugar it contains rather than being labeled as milk chocolate or dark chocolate. It’s a bit more old-school and rustic than the mass-produced chocolate that Nestle and Hershey’s churn out. ![]() You can also find varieties with chiles, nuts, and other spices. Mexican chocolate is usually made from coarsely ground cacao, sugar, and a dash of cinnamon. Throughout the centuries, the love of cacao continued to grow and the country now has its very own, and very unique, type of chocolate. that show that the beans were fermented and used to create a bitter drink that served as a stimulant. Residue has been found in earthenware containers from around 1750 B.C. The Olmecs, an early Mesoamerican people, enjoyed widespread consumption of cacao beans. Chocolate got its start more than 4,000 years ago when the first cacao plants were found. MexicoĪs the birthplace of chocolate, no list of the world’s best chocolate would be complete without Mexico. If you love learning about exciting flora and fauna, you can also hop on a plane to the Galapagos Islands to see some of the amazing animals that helped Darwin shape his theory of evolution. Once you’ve gotten your fill of all things cocoa-related, you can visit some of the smaller colonial towns or stay in a colorful village high up in the Andes Mountains. You can also find some great up-and-coming small-batch chocolatiers including the Quito-based Pacari Chocolates, the Quichua-led Kallari Cooperative, Most of these beans end up getting exported, and Nestle, Mars, Hershey’s, and Ferrero Rocher are some of the biggest chocolate producers there. The flavors of this highly sought-after bean tend to be a mix of fruity and spicy. Not much has changed since then, and this beautiful South American country is famous for its rare Arriba cocoa beans which are used to make decadent dark chocolate. It quickly became a trendy drink for well-heeled customers. The cocoa beans were a bit too bitter for Europeans so they added sugar to the liquid mix. Cocoa became a bit more mainstream there when the Spanish conquistadors arrived and started exporting cocoa back home in the 16th century. Archaeologists believe that Ecuador’s Amazon was home to some of the world’s earliest cocoa plants and have found containers containing remnants of cocoa there dating back to 3,300 B.C. EcuadorĪs one of the biggest cocoa producers in the world and the top exporter of chocolate in Latin America, Ecuador deserves a place firmly at the top of this list. It was then poured into a mold, and ta-da-the chocolate bar was born! 1. This created a cocoa powder that could then be mixed with other liquids. This all changed during the Industrial Revolution in 1828 when someone invented the chocolate press which squeezed cocoa butter from the roasted cacao beans. Chocolate was originally drunk in liquid form and was consumed mostly by the aristocracy. It was soon after packed up and shipped off to the Old World.Ĭhocolate was closely guarded as Spain’s little secret for nearly 100 years before the French got ahold of it, and it then spread to Britain and throughout Europe. When the Spanish arrived throughout Latin America, they jumped at the chance to make money on chocolate as an export. They used cocoa beans as a form of currency and an aphrodisiac, amongst many other things. The Mayas considered chocolate to be the drink of the gods, and they mixed the roasted and ground cacao seeds with chilies, water, and cornmeal.ĭuring the 15th century, the Aztecs believed that chocolate was a gift from the god Quetzalcoatl. It was commonly believed to be Mexico, but new research has shown that it may have actually been Ecuador-so the verdict is still out on that one! Chocolate was highly prized by the Maya and Aztec cultures who apparently had quite a fondness for xocolatl, meaning bitter water. ![]() Before we dive into the best countries to find good chocolate, we want to give you a tiny bit of history for context.Ĭhocolate either originated in Ecuador or Mexico. ![]() Below you’ll see a list of destinations where you can find mountains of mouthwatering chocolate. ![]()
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