Valentine’s Day and chocolate — they simply go hand in hand. In recent years, the confection has been regarded as the symbol of affection with stores and major retailers selling them by the box.

It all starts with the cacao bean. Yes, we spelled that right - cacao is the Spanish word for chcahuatl, which is what Aztecs called the beans chocolate is made from. It’s thought that English ...

Historically, chocolate’s journey began far from the Victorian-era confectioneries of Europe. The Aztecs and Mayans of ancient Mesoamerica initially consumed cocoa beans as part of a sacred ...

Rich and silky, this spicy chocolate avocado mousse is simple to make ahead – and it’s vegan if using the ginger syrup and milk-free chocolate. Put the avocados, stem ginger and lime zest and ...

Chocolate was consumed as a bitter beverage rather than as a sweet edible treat. So what made the chocolate sweet in taste and famous? Ease into the English language and Australian culture. We ...

Even then it was considered a gift from the gods by the Mayans and the Aztecs. The complicated process of turning bitter cacao pods into chocolate evolved over the years. Sweetened chocolate ...

Chocolate itself first began as Xocolatl, or “bitter water,” a spiced drink made from ground cacao beans, chiles and spices that originated with the Aztecs and Mayans. Xocolatl “was mostly ...