From Special to Common Chocolate

There is no doubt something special about chocolate. Once reserved for royalty and aristocrats, it is still regarded as a treat, though nowadays it is a widely accessible one. Today on Cera's Chocolate Culture at Central, also known as C4, we are going to take a look at chocolate's transition from a delicacy to a simple snack.

I have been to my fair share of fancy meals throughout my time at Central, but one in particular stands out that took place at one of the annual Scholarship Dinners. There were dinner rolls, salad, chicken breasts, rice, and most importantly, pieces of multi-layer chocolate cake with raspberry filling for dessert. While I was working my way through the other food, the dessert table was so close to mine that it seemed to be taunting me. Finally, I took my first bite of cake and it was, without a doubt, the best and most memorable part of the meal. It was so intricately decorated and rich with flavor that nothing else could compare. While that was one of the very few times that chocolate was present at a fancy meal I attended, I can understand why chocolate was considered only for the elite.

It was also only at meals like the above that upper class European society could taste chocolate ever since the Spanish discovery of the Americas in the 15th-century. But all of that changed in the late 18th-century and 19th-century. In The True History of Chocolate, Sophie and Michael D. Coe argued we have the French and Industrial Revolutions to thank for usurping the Church and European aristocrats, and for the innovations that became capable of mass production, respectively (246). As it so happens, I am writing a research paper that focuses on the evolution of the technology used to manufacture chocolate. For a sneak peek, I will agree with the Coes that certain inventions such as the cacao press and chocolate mill are largely to thank for chocolate being more affordable and available since they allowed for production on a massive scale (248).

On a personal note, my family and I take advantage of the low prices for manufactured chocolate and eat the occasional small pieces of Dove chocolate when we are sitting in the living room. But we also eat certain chocolate only during special occasions, like holidays and birthdays. One is the Magnum Double Caramel Ice Cream bars. They are special to us because we really like them, but also because they come in multiples of three and there are only three members in my family: my mom, my sister, and me. Usually, products come in packages of four or some other number that does not divide cleanly into threes, but Magnum bars are one of the few exceptions. Another special chocolate dessert is Marie Callender's Chocolate Satin Pie with its chocolate filling, chocolate breadcrumbs that make up the crust, and chocolate chips sprinkled on the top. Some variations of the pie even have chocolate curls on the top that are fun to eat. Neither are terribly expensive, but they are still the telltale signs of celebration for us.

And since Halloween is coming up with its widely available quantities of chocolate candy, just remember that it came a long way. Nowadays, we really get the best of both worlds from the cheaply produced kind for common use to the gourmet chocolate made for special occasions. Either way, we get the chance to feel like royalty just from eating them.