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A Chocolate Chronology<\/h1>\n
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By Jenny McGlone<\/p>\n
Chapel Hill, NC, United States<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
“Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth is lying.”<\/p>\n
So goes the quote of disputed origin. Chocolate inspires almost universal passion and devotion. What would Valentine\u2019s Day or Forrest Gump be without their boxes of chocolates? Yet without the creative efforts of a chocolatier in Switzerland<\/strong> named Daniel Peter, chocolate might have remained just a local delicacy.<\/p>\n How Chocolate Began<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n This substance goes back almost 4,000 years to the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico. There, the Mesoamericans brewed a drink from cocoa beans. The name in fact, derives from the Indigenous word xocolatl <\/em>(“bitter water”). Cocoa beans were thought to have divine properties, so they were offered to the gods and traded as currency. Sometimes the drink was fermented into an alcoholic beverage.<\/p>\n During the 16th century, European conquistadors returned from the Americas with this beverage and sweetened it to improve its bitter flavor. Within the next 100 years, chocolate became a fashionable liquid dessert of the wealthy. Cocoa beans were also used as medicine. It was not consumed by working class people because to purchase one pound of it would have cost two week\u2019s wages.<\/p>\n From Cup to Bar<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n With the Industrial Revolution, producing chocolate became affordable. New techniques allowed it to be converted into solid, durable forms. In 1828, a Dutch chemist named Conrad van Houten invented a method for extracting cocoa butter from the bean, so that the remainder could be ground into a powder. This powder formed the basis for the first chocolate bar, created in 1847 in England.<\/p>\n These technological advances sparked the interest of Daniel Peter,<\/strong> a Swiss candle maker who had fallen on hard times. He spent eight years in his Vevey workshop attempting to create a creamier solid by adding various types of milk. Finally, in 1875, he teamed up with Henri Nestl\u00e9 and perfected the world\u2019s first milk chocolate. Modern Innovations<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The ensuing decades have seen a proliferation of chocolate achievements. One recent innovation is the percentage that producers often prominently display on their confections\u2019 labels. For example, a number between 35 percent and 99 percent means that the chocolate bar contains that same percentage of cocoa. Therefore, high numbers will taste more bitter, because the amount of added sugar decreases as the cocoa content increases. Sweet chocolate has between 15 percent and 34 percent cocoa. White chocolate, by contrast, doesn\u2019t contain any cocoa at all, which is why it is such a light color.<\/p>\n For chocolate lovers, no matter whether their snack is 42, 55, or 70 percent cocoa, they always find it 100 percent delicious!<\/p>\n Have a suggestion for this story? We\u2019d love for you to\u00a0submit it<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/mathkind.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GMS-Switzerland-cacao-pods-600×400-1.png” title_text=”GMS Switzerland cacao pods 600×400″ align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” alt=”Split cacao pods showing cocoa beans and white pulp” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/mathkind.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GMS-Switzerland-cacao-fruit-in-tree-600×400-1.png” title_text=”GMS Switzerland cacao fruit in tree 600×400″ align=”center” force_fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” alt=”Cacao pods growing on a tree branch among green leaves” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_accordion _builder_version=”4.27.5″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Blank” open=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_css_main_element=”display: none; ” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Blank<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Math Resources” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Social Justice Questions” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n Do some research to find out what impact the chocolate industry had on the Indigenous people living in the countries that grew cacao. Were the costs of the chocolate industry worth the economic gain? Are current practices any improvement?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Explore Further” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Share Your Story” open_toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” toggle_text_color=”#0a1766″ toggle_font_size=”18px” open=”off”]<\/p>\n![\"Roasted](\"https:\/\/mathkind.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GMS-Switzerland-cocoa-beans-and-chocolate-1000-x-667-px.png\")
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