The Original Chocolate Would Shock Americans Today

The Original Chocolate Would Shock Americans Today When Thomas Miller was a boy, there was always chocolate somewhere in his house. Not the expensive kind arranged inside elegant gift boxes. Just a few chocolate bars in the kitchen drawer, a container of cocoa powder his mother used during the winter, and a bag of candy his father always claimed was “for the guests.” But no guest ever had the chance to eat it. Thomas’s father was usually the one who made the chocolate disappear first. Whenever his wife asked about it, he always gave the same answer: “I only had one piece.” In the Miller household, “one piece” was a fairly flexible concept. Chocolate appeared at Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Christmas. It was baked into cookies, mixed into ice cream and milk, and added to children’s cereal that adults sometimes secretly ate after the children had gone to bed. So in Thomas’s childhood memories, chocolate was always connected with sweetness, holidays, and comfort. But the earliest chocolate was nothing like anything he ate growing up. It was not a candy bar. It contained no milk. There was no caramel. And it certainly did not contain enough sugar to help a dentist buy a new car. Chocolate began as a drink. It was bitter. Sometimes spicy. And often covered with foam... #foodmuseum #chocolate #SPICYCHOCOLATE