Вариант 7
the story of chocolate, as far back as we know it, begins with the
discovery of america. until 1492, the old world knew nothing at all about
the delicious and stimulating flavor that was to become the favourite of
millions.
the court of king ferdinand and queen isabella got its first look at
the principal ingredient of chocolate when columbus returned in triumph
from america and laid before the spanish throne a treasure trove of many
strange and wonderful things. among these were a few dark brown beans
that looked like almonds and seemed most unpromising. they were cocoa
beans, today's source of all our chocolate and cocoa.
the king and queen never dreamed how important cocoa beans could
be, and it remained for hernando cortez, the great spanish explorer, to
grasp the commercial possibilities of the new world offerings. during his
conquest of mexico, cortez found the aztec indians using cocoa beans in
the preparation of the royal drink of the realm, chocolate, meaning warm
liquid.
in 1519, emperor montezuma, who reportedly drank 50 or more
portions daily, served chocolate to his spanish guests in great golden
goblets, treating it like a food for the gods. for all its regal importance,
however, montezuma's chocolate was very bitter, and the spaniards did
not find it to their taste.
to make the concoction more agreeable to europeans, cortez and his
countrymen conceived of the idea of sweetening it with cane sugar. while
they took chocolate back to spain, the idea found favor and the drink
underwent several more changes with newly discovered spices, such as
cinnamon and vanilla.
ultimately, someone decided the drink would taste better if served hot.
the new drink won friends, especially among the spanish aristocracy.
spain wisely proceeded to plant cocoa in its overseas colonies, which
gave birth to a very profitable business. remarkably enough, the spanish
