Life is like a box of Chocolates
Chocolate was ‘hot property’ in the 17th century.
Dr. Kate Loveman, a lecturer at the University of Leicester, has uncovered the first English recipes for iced chocolate desserts, that are nearly 350 years old.
In the 17th century, however, these chilly treats were believed to be as dangerous, and sinful as they were delightful.
Chocolate was first advertised in England around 1640 as an exotic drink made from cacao beans.
In the 1660s, when the Earl of Sandwich collected his recipes, chocolate often came with advice about safe consumption.
One physician cautioned that the ingredients in hot chocolate could cause insomnia, excess mucus, or even haemorrhoids!
People worried that iced chocolate in particular was ‘unwholesome’ and could damage the stomach, heart, and lungs.
From the 1640s, chocolate was sold as an exotic and erotic drink that could cure illnesses, and act as an aphrodisiac – to get you in the mood for some serious sexy time!
Captain James Wadsworth, claimed as early as 1652 that chocolate was “thirsted after by people of all Degrees, especially those of the Female sex, for the:
“Pleasure therein Naturally Residing, to Cure, and divert Diseases; Or else to supply some Defects of Nature”.
As chocolate sellers sprung up across London in the 1650s, a milky version of the drink began to be sold in coffee houses.
By the 1690s elite ‘chocolate houses’ were selling the drink to an aristocratic clientele.
Chocolate was widely mentioned in literature, and had already acquired some of the associations with indulgence and pleasure it has today.
