To this day, it has not been established for certain who was the first to bring chocolate https://greenelly.com/ to Europe. One version says that it was Hernan Cortes, a Spanish conquistador. At the beginning of the 16th century, the conquistadors who conquered part of Mexico discovered countless reserves of strange dried beans in Montezuma’s bins. The trophy and the recipe for the drink were delivered to the King of Spain.
Another version claims that Christopher Columbus was the first to discover chocolate. Some historians believe that he was the first European to try it, being on the island of Guyana. But the bitter taste of the drink and the unusual aroma of unfamiliar herbs with which it was flavored did not impress Columbus, so he showed no interest in the exotic fruits.
As a result, the Spaniards turned out to be the first Europeans to obtain the recipe for the miraculous drink. Due to the fact that the volume of supplies of cocoa beans was insignificant, the conquistadors carefully protected the chocolate recipe from agents of neighboring powers.
Residents of other European countries learned and fell in love with chocolate only in 1616. This happened after Anne of Austria delivered a whole box of cocoa beans to Paris. Very soon, European aristocrats began to enjoy the wonderful drink. However, only men could resist the tart bitterness; ladies condescendingly rejected the outlandish treat. To improve the taste, cane sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg were added to cocoa. The British finally corrected the situation at the beginning of the 18th century, they added milk to hot chocolate. After the drink acquired a mild taste, it managed to win the hearts of society ladies.
