Columbian Exchange: Chocolate and it's interaction between humans and the environment
Columbian Exchange: Chocolate (Interaction between humans and the environment)
Chocolate orginated in central and South America from the cacao tree (pronounced "ka-kow"). The earliest use and cultivation of the cacao tree has been dated as far back as 1400 B.C. in Honduras, by the Olmecs. Chocolate was initially made into a type of beverage called xocolatl by the mesoamerican people, a nahuatl word meaning "bitter water" due to the cacao tree's bitter taste when unfermented. Chocolate first spread beyond mesoamerica when Montezuma of Tenonchtitlan introduced Henan Cortez, a Spanish Conquistador, to it in the 16th century. Henan Cortez then brought it back to the Spanish court in 1528 along with the equipment used for brewing it. Chocolate didn't become popular until after the downfall of the Aztec Empire, where then Cortez intensified cultivation efforts in New Spain.The first recorded shipment of chocolate for commercial purposes was in 1585 from Veracruz to Sevilla. By the 17th century, chocolate (cocoa) began arriving in ports throughout Europe as King Loius XIII married Spanish Princess Anne in 1615. The Europeans added cane sugar to counteract the bitterness while removing the chili pepper as well. In less than a century, chocolate spread and became popular throughout Europe and became fashionable amongst the nobility of Europe. From Europe chocolate spread eastward and into the rest of the world as trade increased. Chocolate is mainly grown in Ghana and Africa where production can greatly effect the environment through intense farming and deforestation. Because chocolate is grown in areas where Tropical Rainforests are usually located farmers cut down and destroy wildlife habitats to clear room for land used in chocolate production. During cocoa cultivation and farming, nutrients are leached out of the soil due to poor irrigation and the neglect of proper soil protection. As the more intense the production process becomes, the quicker the
Chocolate orginated in central and South America from the cacao tree (pronounced "ka-kow"). The earliest use and cultivation of the cacao tree has been dated as far back as 1400 B.C. in Honduras, by the Olmecs. Chocolate was initially made into a type of beverage called xocolatl by the mesoamerican people, a nahuatl word meaning "bitter water" due to the cacao tree's bitter taste when unfermented. Chocolate first spread beyond mesoamerica when Montezuma of Tenonchtitlan introduced Henan Cortez, a Spanish Conquistador, to it in the 16th century. Henan Cortez then brought it back to the Spanish court in 1528 along with the equipment used for brewing it. Chocolate didn't become popular until after the downfall of the Aztec Empire, where then Cortez intensified cultivation efforts in New Spain.The first recorded shipment of chocolate for commercial purposes was in 1585 from Veracruz to Sevilla. By the 17th century, chocolate (cocoa) began arriving in ports throughout Europe as King Loius XIII married Spanish Princess Anne in 1615. The Europeans added cane sugar to counteract the bitterness while removing the chili pepper as well. In less than a century, chocolate spread and became popular throughout Europe and became fashionable amongst the nobility of Europe. From Europe chocolate spread eastward and into the rest of the world as trade increased. Chocolate is mainly grown in Ghana and Africa where production can greatly effect the environment through intense farming and deforestation. Because chocolate is grown in areas where Tropical Rainforests are usually located farmers cut down and destroy wildlife habitats to clear room for land used in chocolate production. During cocoa cultivation and farming, nutrients are leached out of the soil due to poor irrigation and the neglect of proper soil protection. As the more intense the production process becomes, the quicker the