The True History of Chocolate

Description

Chocolate - 'the food of the Gods' - has had a long and eventful history. Its story is expertly told here by the doyen of Maya studies, Michael Coe, and his late wife, Sophie. The book begins 3,000 years ago in the Mexican jungles and goes on to draw on aspects of archaeology, botany and socio-economics. Used as currency and traded by the Aztecs, chocolate arrived in Europe via the conquistadors, and was soon a favourite drink with aristocrats. By the 19th century and industrialization, chocolate became a food for the masses - until its revival in our own time as a luxury item. Chocolate has also been giving up some of its secrets to modern neuroscientists, who have been investigating how flavour perception is mediated by the human brain. And, finally, the book closes with two contemporary accounts of how chocolate manufacturers have (or have not) been dealing with the ethical side of the industry.

Sophie D. Coe, an anthropologist and food historian, was the author of America's First Cuisines. Professor Michael D. Coe is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology and Curator Emeritus in the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. His books include The Maya, Reading the Maya Glyphs and Mexico and The True History of Chocolate, all published by Thames & Hudson.

'A splendid treat' - New York Review of Books 'A true classic' - Literary Review 'Genuinely scholarly and highly entertaining ... erudite and delightful' - Sunday Telegraph 'Begins with the origins of the cacao tree and follows the story up to today's mass-produced chocolate ... A pleasure, not just for chocoholics but for anyone who enjoys lively, thorough historical sleuthing via the printed page' - Gourmet 'A beautifully written, indexed and illustrated history of the Food of the Gods, from the Olmecs to present-day developments' - Chocolatier 'Just like a tasty bar of chocolate, this hugely entertaining book is a real treat and deserves to be devoured' - All About History 'An attention-grabbing account ... an engaging and entertaining story about something that is extraordinarily delicious!' - Books Monthly Review 'A beautiful book for anyone interested in how chocolate got to be one of the world's most popular food stuffs' - Prosecco Diaries 'An in-depth, meticulously researched and cited, hugely interesting piece of historical research ... fascinating' - I Can Only Blame My Shelf 'Beautifully designed ... full of amazing facts and stories' - Inspired in the City 'Beautifully designed ... If you have a book-lover in your life, I cannot think of a better gift to give this Easter' - Of Beauty and Nothingness 'If historical food books float your boat, then this is definitely the book for you' - Art of Healthy Living 'A perfect Easter read' - Mummy Pages 'In this definitive and exhaustive study, Sophie and Michael Coe examine every aspect of chocolate from chemistry to culture' - Eden Magazine