The story of the brownie starts over 2,200
years ago when the Myans began mashing and
eating the beans of the cacao plant – and chocolate was born! Chocolate was
unknown outside of the New World before Christopher Columbus arrived in 1492.
When Columbus returned to Spain he presented chocolate to Queen Isabella and
King Ferdinand along with many other treasures form the Americas. The
unsweetened beverage did not catch on.
Chocolate’s big break came in 1519 when Hernando Cortez
met the Aztec King Montezuma. Montezuma introduced
Cortez to the royal drink, “chocolati”. Since it was bitter,
Cortez decided to sweeten it with cane sugar. By the time this
version of “chocolati” reached Spain it was mixed with two
other imports, cinnamon and vanilla. Served hot, this new
mixture quickly became a favorite of Spain’s aristocracy. It
was so prized, Spain managed to keep the wonder of hot
chocolate from the rest of Europe for nearly 100 years.
Once the secret got out it quickly spread to France where chocolate became a
health craze. It was said to promote vigor and ward off many ailments. From
France it was a short hop across the English Channel where London’s first
Chocolate House opened in 1657.
In America, chocolate was first enjoyed as an unsweetened after-dinner beverage
served like coffee. Later it was sweetened with sugar. Before the mid-1700s both
chocolate and sugar were expensive ingredients so chocolate was reserved for the
wealthiest members of society. Chocolate became less expensive as production
was ramped up in America. Chocolate’s journey from luxury to national favorite
took a big step in 1780 when Dr. James Baker opened the first chocolate factory
(Baker’s Chocolate) in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Cocoa powder arrived in stores
in 1828 and the first chocolate candy bar was introduced in 1842. By the late 1800s
American cooks were baking chocolate cakes and their families were eating them
up