In 1502, Christopher Columbus sailed the "Santa Maria" along the coast of Honduras. He received the traditional welcoming gifts from the inhabitants: weapons, materials and sacks of brown beans. In those days the cacao bean was used as a means of payment, as well as for the preparation of a royal drink. Columbus had no idea how valuable these beans were and dumped them in the sea so that the ship would not be overloaden for the return journey. Less than a quarter of a century later, Cortéz, another conquistador, was very aware of the value of his cargo, especially as a bartering device. Thus the cacao bean arrived in Spain and chocolate became a part of history; the history of peoples, conquests, cultures, taste and delights.
Chocolate