Chocolate as a European Addiction

The Spanish conquistadors brought back much of South America’s gold and jewels to Spain, but they also brought back the cocoa bean and the secret of chocolate-making. In the seventeenth century, Europe discovered the seductive power of chocolate and succumbed to a long-lasting affair with le chocolat. At that time, cocoa beans were prohibitively expensive, so only the rich could afford to savour chocolate. Since then, European chocolatiers have continuously searched for the very best methods of chocolate production, and argued fiercely about where and how the best chocolate is produced. After all those centuries, it is still a food that provokes passion.