Bad Colonial Chocolate

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was a fan of the good ol’ cacao crop? He even predicted its soon-to-grow popularity as a result of its nourishment and taste when combined with one of the most coveted ingredients in all of history: sugar. 

According to Vice, the method used back then of having chocolate be “packed into boxes or sold in large bricks, the gritty, fatty, oily Colonial chocolate was not suited to being a snackable foodstuff”, and thus, it's likely a lot different than the smooth and shiny chocolate bars that one can buy at a drugstore or supermarket in today's modern age, anywhere near them (Raposo, 2019).

A good majority of colonists even knew about the health benefits of chocolate, even if they were adding tons of sugar to it, which no longer made it as much of a healthier option; though popular nonetheless. As a matter of fact, during the Revolutionary War when food rations were short and soldiers were going through some rough times, chocolate was actually used as a form of compensation for the soldiers in lieu of currency payments! 

If you would like to read more about  this side of History and how it  somewhat imitates the same fascination with chocoloate that we still see today, then visit the Vice webpage to learn some more!