Food History: Chocolate

[@Emnms68]

I wrote a 10 page research paper on this exact subject. Fun fact: cacao can be mildly hallucinogenic, which is partly why it had religious significance.

[@MatthewSchooley94]

Oof, that jab at Almond Joy at the end feels like a personal attack. Yes, Almond Joy is my favorite chocolate bar. The coconut cuts the sweetness of the chocolate and gives it a more balanced flavor.

[@MentalFloss]

Don't feel bad. I, too, am often wrong. 😉

[@itsvoogle]

I love Almond Joys but as a lover of Dark Chocolate Mounds are my favorite...

[@Jack_shadows]

I don’t know if you’ve done a video on it, but it would cool to see you do a video on sailor food since fresh food was hard to come by on ships.

[@MissKatAttackOfficial]

I love chocolate, it’s my favorite food. But after 33 years of suffering I finally realized through trial and error that chocolate gives me migraines. Yes in 2018 and 2019 I had migraines every single day, and I was eating chocolate every day. I didn’t think it was the cause, nor did the expensive neurologists. I finally eliminated things from my diet, and after two weeks of chocolate being out of my system my migraines were gone. Then I eat some chocolate and my migraine came right back. I’ve had migraines since I was 10 years old, and now I know that my beloved chocolate is what causes my brain to hurt more than it needs to. So I eat white chocolate now if I am desperate, no headache. Therefore white chocolate is chocolate without chocolate and without migraines for me.

[@CrystalWilliamsoncoach]

I'm not going to convince you to like white chocolate - this way there's more for me!! Loved the chocolate beef joke

[@deboralee1623]

you can have my share of white chocolate, too.

[@imfromdowntown]

Really enjoyed this...except for that pic @1:15. 🤔😬 Wish there would have been some brief discussion on cacao introduction to west Africa since most of the world's cacao production is from there and I'm sure some people would be surprised.

[@hunterG60k]

Agree, was hoping he would go into the modern production of chocolate and the working conditions involved.

[@emilchandran546]

I don’t get it what was wrong at 1:15?

[@imfromdowntown]

@Emil Chandran That's an open pod meticulously filled with dried cacao beans. I'm quite sure many people seeing that pic will think that's what an opened pod looks like.

[@FaultAndDakranon]

@@emilchandran546 if they mentioned the fact that chocolate is produced in West Africa, someone might start remembering that a lot of cocoa is cultivated by kidnapped children, and the multinationals who buy it just don't care, they do so knowingly. .. not to mention the massive history of slavery driven by the cocoa and sugar markets...

[@ianhowick]

You didn't mention Conching, the process that emulsifies cacao and cocoa butter into a smooth texture

[@userunaemu]

I tried some Hersheys chocolate that was imported in from the US and I was left feeling sad. It tasted so wrong and makes some of the cheapest chocolate in the UK taste gourmet in comparison.

[@carlahernandez1108]

Not sure if all of this is correct/true, but I heard that Hershey chocolate is consumed by the U.S. military and since a lot of activities are in hot areas they have bees wax in them to keep from melting quickly. Instead of having 2 different recipes, one for civilians and one for the military it's cheaper to have the same thing for both. Which is why Hershey is my last resort for chocolate in dessert or snacking.

[@Sure718]

People from different places are accustomed to foods that they’re used to, so Americans love Hershey and people in the UK love what chocolate company they are used to. And since it came from the US it probably took a while for that to get there, unlike us in the US that can just go to a gas station or petrol station as y’all say it.

[@anonymouscat9131]

Hi there, just binged all the Food History videos, great stuff! I learned quite a bit. I have a request for a future topic, could you do a food history episode on sushi/ sashimi or maybe one on pizza?

[@rahab2850]

Best chocolate I've ever had was given to me by a friend who bought it in Belize. It was so good, I wish I'd never tasted it, because it's only available there.

[@sjselby95]

Any idea what the brand or anything is? Any info so I can find it next time I go?

[@AndrewPonti]

Grew up 15 minutes from Hershey, PA and probably went to Hershey Park once a year until a few years ago since I was born. Also, been to Hershey Chocolate World, no kidding, hundreds of times. Was a favorite pastime of my grandparents to take me and my 2 younger sisters there. Back in the 90s, you could get a full size chocolate bar after the factory ride tour! Then, as time went on you'd get the "fun sized" (arguably the worst name for a miniature chocolate!) after. We felt betrayed! Either way, those were good times! I love most chocolate (white chocolate is not CHOCOLATE) but I will always have a soft spot for Hershey's chocolate. Although I do love European brands a lot too!

[@dwaynezilla]

the pronunciation of phenylethylamine is a bit off here, hahah. break it down into parts to get the pronunciation. phenyl-ethyl-amine. fennel-ethel-uh-meen. probably some other variants but they should sound similar!

[@Adaginy]

Around 7:02, you say spanish mercenaries, but the CC says spanish missionaries. And it looks like it's supposed to be missionaries, from context.

[@jannoottenburghs5121]

So since you didn't want to mention Belgium in this video, I dare you to make your next video on fries. And one of my favorite chocolate bars: Côte d'Or Praliné dark

[@juliennepdy]

So, I've noticed that a lot of these episodes are for foods that people generally feel good about. Maybe there should be an episode on something commonly ingested but almost universally hated, like protein powder. 😫 Although, I question if that even qualifies as food. 😑 Favorite chocolate bar is Milky Way Midnights by the way.

[@rooryan]

I’m sorry but almond joy is one of the best snack sized candy bars we have

[@hectorcarbajal4656]

FINALLY someone knew the true origin of chocolate!!! Most people think that cacao came from Central America.

[@TheJDSeibel]

Lindt Excellence 78% rich dark chocolate bar! and the intense orange one too!

[@dragonskunkstudio7582]

Since I'm diabetic I have to make my own hot chocolate using sucralose. Cocoa powder, vanilla, coffee, sucralose, sometimes I add 15% table cream. I'm enjoying this as I watch.

[@MentalFloss]

Whoa! Props on the ingenuity! I'm surprised there aren't good versions of sucralose-chocolate marketed to the public for this very reason.

[@dragonskunkstudio7582]

@@MentalFloss There is sugar free chocolate it's sold at specialty shops and it's expensive and it tastes weird cause they use an artificial sweeter that doesn't go with chocolate. And I have yet to find any sugar free powdered or syrup chocolate mix.

[@Lily_260]

White chocolate is my favorite type, had some from Switzerland and it was the best

[@lindabrubaker4196]

So agree on white choc and almond joy. But love me a good old Hershey bar preferably without almonds

[@JonathanDJCureton]

Almond Joy is a great chocolate bar, though it would be made even better with a dark chocolate shell. There needs to be a true Almond Joy/Mounds crossover bar.

[@decepticonne]

i both love alpine milk chocolate and >90% dark chocolate the most for very different reasons :)

[@ChaiMeiLan]

Seattle Chocolates truffle bars - such great creamy mouth feel and delicious flavors!

[@marknava321]

Please do History of Coffee!

[@Lin-ij9vk]

Like with beer, the best chocolate is the one in my hands.

[@amegenshiken]

Regarding the chocolate bars question... I like Three Musketeers, Twix, Kit-Kat, (I'm not sure if a Resses Peanut Butter cup counts, but, I'll include this on the list just in case), and (of course) the classic Hersheys Milk Chocolate bar... But my favorite's the Milky Way. It's pretty much like a Three Musketeers...except it also has *caramel*! While I like chocolate and peanut butter, I'm not a fan of mixing chocolate and nuts. So, I'd rather not get a Snickers. But at least, if there's someone near me that *does* like Snickers, there's more Snickers for those who like it. It's a good thing for different people to like different things.

[@decepticonne]

that platinum blonde hair... that's representation

[@JoRiver11]

One of my favourites has been changed... I loved the Mars dark chocolate bar when they first started making it with the white/vanilla nougat (with the caramel layer and dark chocolate on the outside). But then for some reason they changed it to a chocolate nougat. My new favourite is Ghirardelli dark chocolate with salted caramel.

[@Emma-ou6jq]

I watched this while eating that same Ghirardelli bar! 😍

[@Rigel7WasAlreadyUsed]

Big Turk, but also Coffee Crisp. Had a brief love for Skor bars when I was a kid, and my Halloween favourite is a Mr Big.

[@OhioEddieBlack]

The local candy business used to take white chocolate (bleah) and put peanut butter in it to make peanut butter chocolate, which was really really good. They sold PB chocolate crosses at Easter time, and small molded PB chocolate ducks and chicks. White chocolate by itself though, no thanks.

[@dezgdny4062]

Your intro, which generally sets the tone, is very, very Eurocentric. That much of the first 2/3's of this piece spoke to the origins of cacao was pretty decent.It would be nice to see how some other parts of the world adopted it's use too.

[@FaultAndDakranon]

But to fill in any of the massive holes in the picture might reveal some of the slavery they very carefully avoided mentioning.

[@tedwalner6477]

Really very good. Will listen other times as well. Take care, Ted- I can write a lot more but this is all I want to say right now. on the whole this is an excellent video.

[@iknowchristalena]

After a decade in Europe I really can't eat American Chocolate anymore... my favorite brand is Leonidas from Belgium, but I did get a hold of some S'mores Pop Tarts a few weeks ago and they aren't great but do bring back memories

[@route2070]

I'm starting to think the 1893 World Fair may be the biggest event in business and culture in history considering everything there that gained prominence on the world stage. That said, I say that as someone born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, where that World Fair happened.

[@thewordshifter]

"Fermentation..." *Brad Leone has entered the chat*

[@traceyshenanigans]

lindt truffles...yummmm

[@xSTTS]

so weird not everyone is taught this in school, i grew up in mexico so we were taught about the mesoamerican period of history for a whole year, we learned about preparations of cacao drinks and how they used cacao beans were currency. it makes me sad my mexican cousin growing up in the us doesn't know anything about america before europeans because the us system doesn't give a basic history course long enough in elementary for students to grasp the concept of a variety of cultures thriving on their own and how that came to be

[@ambergetsbutterflies]

Dark chocolate in the 70% range tastes the best to me, but I don’t know what Almond Joy did to hurt you. 😂 White chocolate is okay but I don’t consider it actual chocolate.

[@zl1388]

Almond joys. Lol

[@Eric_D_6]

Wait, that's the intersection of Chocolate Ave and Cocoa Ave? Shouldn't one of those be a St or at least something other than an Ave?

[@meissoun]

Swiss chocolate all the way!!!! Dark with almonds or hazelnuts please.

[@phosphorus4]

I think about 70% is juuuuust the right amount. "I'd give up chocolate but i'm not a quitter" HAHAHAHAHAHA

[@StephanieDouglassMusic]

I love the dark chocolate sun butter cups from Trader Joe's....I'm eating one right now in fact 😁

[@cherylcampbell9369]

At the checkout counter. My go-to and finished shopping ritual treat. Yes.

[@areamusicale]

Have you got After Eight in US? It is chocolate with mint to be eaten at tea time (3 very bad combinations).

[@MentalFloss]

Hmmm, I am curious now...

[@JoRiver11]

We have it in Canada. But there is a lot of difference between what is available in Canada and the US

[@FedJimSmith]

We owe a lot of raw foods from those mesomerican civilizations

[@EggShen905]

Favorite chocolate bar: Nestle Krackle, before they changed the recipe. Since those aren't available anymore, the correct answer is Watchamacalit, followed by Mr. Goodbar.

[@Zeldaschampion]

Nothing wrong with Almond Joy or Mounds. Funny to think my favorite chocolate was the first chocolate company to be made.

[@JonathanDJCureton]

Almond Joy is my favorite candy bar, but I think it would be even better with a dark chocolate shell!

[@Zeldaschampion]

@@JonathanDJCureton Mounds with almonds.

[@jennamedlyn]

My favorite chocolate is Côte d'Or. It's made in Belgium and the most amazing thing I've ever tasted. You can sometimes find it at international food stores, or just online.

[@AnyZee]

Eating my favorite treat while learning about my favorite treat from my favorite treat 😋😏😘

[@sergeantsquishy]

Cadburry mulk chocolate. S tier.

[@screeningmimi]

I could live on Cadbury Milk Chocolate.

[@d.fromage4301]

You should do an episode Food History: CHEESECAKE 💙💙💙💙💙 😄😄😄😄😄 P.S. Love the series. 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

[@MentalFloss]

Thanks! Also, the fact that Dave Fromage just recommended we make an episode about CHEESEcake marks a new high point in the life of this series.

[@dstinnettmusic]

I would argue that chocolate is more popular than tea or coffee, even if there isn’t as much of a culture around chocolate.

[@BeeKayGirl94]

Should’ve talked about the current chocolate trade and ethics too. A lot of these major companies are cutting corners by purchasing chocolate from farms that use child slaves. These people literally kidnap young kids from local villages (since they can easily climb the trees) and force them to pick the cacao pods. A lot of them fall out of the tree and get punished when they don’t meet the quota. And y’all should also talk about the fact that there was/is a threat of a worldwide chocolate shortage as climate change happens. Ooh and that a “new” type of chocolate was discovered called Ruby. It has a different taste than the chocolate we’re used to.

[@cherylcampbell9369]

All interesting, and the child slave labor should definitely be known. Do you know of any particular companies?

[@CreedK]

7:02 Missionaries?

[@MentalFloss]

Eek, yes! No idea how we didn't catch that!

[@johnmaltbie377]

“Sometimes you feel like a nut. Sometimes you don’t”

[@michaelkraus8407]

Could you guys make a whole video on the Columbian Exchange of food between the Americas and the Old World? You could make a list video/food history video out of it.

[@MentalFloss]

Oo very good suggestion! I know that the classic "Italian" ingredient, the tomato, for example, only arrived in Italy relatively recently via South America (I believe Peru?)

[@genemreyes5266]

Hey, just a quick correction: when a group of tamales are served individually, the correct term is tamal; not tamale. yo quiero un tamal; i want one tamal, you quiero 2 tamales; i want 2 tamales. It's pet peeve of mine that tamale is in such wide use in Mexican restaurants and others who should know better. Excuse me, and thank you for listening.

[@MentalFloss]

You're absolutely right, thanks for pointing it out in a friendly way! I do think, at this point, "tamale" is recognized as an acceptable singular noun in English, unlike Spanish, but in a situation like that it would be my preference to give some deference to the original language (or maybe more accurately intermediary language? since I believe the word came to Spanish from a precolonial Mesoamerican language).

[@genemreyes5266]

@@MentalFloss Indeed. anytime you hear a Mexican use a word that ends in 'al', it is probably a word of Nahuatl or Maya origin. thanks for you attention

[@dregoth0]

"Moo Cacao" means chocolate milk.

[@samiularko]

can't argue with tha

[@Leftatalbuquerque]

I find the Canadian chocolate bars taste a lot better than their American equivalents.

[@johnstevenson9956]

I honestly had to laugh at the end.

[@Resmungo]

Meiji Dark. Or Lily's Salted Carmel.

[@StephanieElizabethMann]

I thin the 70% cocoa Dark chocolate is the best along with chilli chocolate.

[@CalicoRegent]

There’s a lot of bad white chocolate out there. Try Godivas it’s good.

[@karistasogare]

Don't have a favorite bar, but am partial to (UK) Cadbury's Chocolate Liquor. (20% al/vol)

[@THE_BagelMan]

Do scrambled eggs 🙂

[@ze_rubenator]

"It didn't taste anything like a Hershey's bar." Thank God for that. Hershey's is disgusting.

[@caryrodda]

Here's the case for white chocolate...it cuts down on reflections in your eyeglasses from your computer. :D

[@annaberg7839]

New episode idea: history of casseroles! There has to be an explanation for the midwestern casserole, right?? Also, I'm a fan of any bar that involves dark chocolate and caramel :)

[@mjz16]

Cacao originates in Mexico and it was traded throughout Mesoamérica. It spread to other areas of central and South America slowly where they thought it was too bitter. In addition to being made into a drink, it was mixed into tamale-like pasties and used in several savory recipes. It’s used in a very popular dish, Mole, created by nuns during colonial times. The original name is Nahuatl, a mesoamerican language.

[@BossInvader1]

Regarding the thumbnail, when I look at the chocolate bar, the coco pod with the leaves looks like a turtle indirectly. I'm probably alone in that, I'm a little tired.

[@why_e26]

You guys are my inspiration, Mental Floss for starting my own KZbin channel on facts. Please check it out and support if you like what I do.

[@morganb6717]

as for why it's cocoa, not cacao? a misspelling in shipping manifests. "simple" as that.

[@PoeticProse7]

My favorite has to be Tcho's salted toffee milk chocolate bar. There was mention of chocolate meat in a famous Disney short film! Don't remember it? Willy the Giant: "Pot roast! Chocolate pot roast! With pistachi- with mustachio, with cream gravy!"

[@enddorb]

Boy do I love white chocolate! And I love really dark chocolates, so it's hard to find a chocolate bar that caters to me

[@derheadbanger9039]

If it's that common that we europeans don't like Hershey's, why do americans like it so much? It tastes like the cheap chocolate thats has exceeded its best before date by a year (to europeans at least).

[@MentalFloss]

I'm gonna say marketing combined with decades of exposure therapy?

[@Smashinbeauty]

FALSE - Cacao - is pure cacao while Cocoa is processed cacao, meaning the fat was taken out of the cacao and other items might have been added such as sugar and milk powder...etd.

[@ensignabby]

I’m a Milka fan myself. Went to the chocolate museum in Cologne, Germany and haven’t been able to go back to American-made chocolate again. Please make the history of Mac and cheese, please!

[@MentalFloss]

Mac and cheese is on the list, for sure!

[@ensignabby]

Mental Floss yay!!! Thanks for answering!

[@cocoatasting4you333]

Is there a reason why you didn't talk about Mars Inc, the world's largest Chocolate company? They also carry the patented process of extracting the flavanols which is the healthy part of Chocolate. It helps with brain health and assisting with cognitive levels, heart healthy in assisting with circulation and overall wellness. I'd love to share some samples with you! As well as some links. Did you know that M&Ms are the only Chocolate allowed on space and they they were created during the war? Definitely need to expand on this episode. 😉

[@phosphorus4]

Pretty sure I remember some of these facts in one or two of their old videos…

[@DarlingPhenylethylamine]

Propagandist BS.

[@LimeyWatson]

Please fact check on Girl Scouts of America vs. Girl Scouts of United States of America. Two different organizations, one dead, one alive. Love the show though!

[@arizona444]

i think her bathroom is talking about a different type of chocolate

[@klairdelun456]

I like that kind of chocolate

[@ricepaddymaddie]

“Cacao to cacao!”

[@MentalFloss]

Hahaha I saw those words and thought, "What?" And then Fred Armisen's voice popped into my head. Underrated show?

[@DenniWintyr]

Actually, good quality beef fried with a small amount of melted very dark chocolate (like 72%) can be absolutely delectable. Regarding white chocolate, consider that Whittaker's white chocolate has 28% cocoa (just from the butter), whereas Cadbury milk chocolate has just 23% cocoa, when combining both the cocoa solids & butter. Seems odd to consider the one with less cocoa chocolate, but not the one with more

[@pawlee77]

You look like Simon Pegg.

[@yellowladybug4010]

I love chocolate! Especially dark. White chocolate is nasty. Thanks!

[@Zeyev]

At one point I heard you say "mercenaries" but the script we saw said "missionaries." Did I hear you wrong? The Field Museum years ago sponsored a traveling exhibit on chocolate that I saw at the California Academy of Sciences. One of their points was that the European wish for sweeteners to make their chocolate taste better fueled the need for sugar which led to the sugar cane plantations in America which led to the slave trade. Ouch. In addition, "gift of the gods" is close to what science has named the genus of the cacao, Theobroma, "food of the gods." How about that!

[@MentalFloss]

That was, indeed, supposed to be missionaries. Although some of them were, perhaps, fairly mercenary...

[@DavidFell]

So judgmental. Unsweetened chocolate is key to my delicious beef chili recipe. And Almond Joy is delish!!

[@firstcynic92]

"White chocolate" is an abomination. My favorite chocolate bar: Trader Joe's 70% dark chocolate. It's not the absolute best, but it's really good and extremely cheap. My favorite chocolate candy bar: Topic Hazelnuts, caramel, nougat, milk chocolate.

[@redturner]

ALMOND JOOOOOY!

[@SpeedOfThought1111]

eating chocolate is indeed one of the only decent things about being a human

[@FaultAndDakranon]

Don't look deeper into how it's cultivated then.

[@Austin_Bundy]

Will the real Slim Shady please give me facts about chocolate

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

The Fry and Cadbury families were Quakers. They thought that caffeinated drinks were bad (like alcohol) so started by creating the drinking chocolate to replace them. Cadburys also built a town, just outside of the industrial city of Birmingham. The town, Bournville, was built for the workers in the Cadbury factory. Each house had a garden for them to grow fresh food, and had either an apple or pear tree (both were there, it was a matter of "luck", I guess, as to which you had). The rules were that the houses had to be kept clean and tidy, and that NO alcohol was allowed in Bournville at all or you and your family were kicked out. Given that the workers were taken from the slums of Victorian Birmingham, giving up beer etc was a small price to pay for guaranteed jobs, very cheap but excellent housing per family (instead of having to share a single room with other families in disgusting conditions in the city), education for the kids and adults, sporting facilities etc. I think they had to go to church on Sundays too, or a Quaker friends house (IIRC, they didn't force or even "persuade" their employees to convert to Quakerism, but I stand to be corrected), but at that time, it wasn't such an unusual thing for people to do anyway. There are many other stories connected with Quaker businesses during that time, and before (they were a major part of banning slavery either in or outside the UK) but the Cadbury and Fry families are probably the most famous (for being Quakers, as well as for their businesses). Elizabeth Fry was one of the major forces behind prison reform of the time, and she was one of the first non-monarch females to be put on a pound note. I can't remember the denomination, but I can still "see" her portrait. Sadly, Kraft bought up Cadburys a few years back, and despite promising to keep the factories in the UK opened, one of the first things they did was shut down one of them. Traitors! I rarely buy Cadburys for myself anymore. Fry's peppermint cream is a once-in-a-while treat, though :D If you want to give top class white chocolate a go (frankly, from this maker, any flavour they do is worth it), try Green & Black's. It's an ethical company, fair trade etc, but compared to some so-called luxury brands (some of which I'd pass on), they're not that pricy. They're not cheap, but absolutely not over-the-top. And they're absolutely delicious! You can see the flecks of black from the vanilla pods in the white choc and there's enough vanilla in it to stop it being a sweetened mess like some white chocolate, but it's not overpowering, either. I'm not generally a fan of white chocolate but I love theirs! And their slightly spicy Maya gold. And the butterscotch. And... Lol. Only one or two flavours are ones I don't touch but that's because of the added ingredients, not the base chocolate. So, have I convinced you to try it yet?

[@phosphorus4]

For a split second my brain kinda turned your picture into the Quaker Oats guy…

[@JoRiver11]

Green & Blacks was bought by Cadbury in 2005, so are now also under the Kraft umbrella it seems.

[@lukehill9934]

Almond Joy. COME AT ME. *laughs*

[@jakobrosenqvist4691]

Daim Don't know if anyone of youy have heard of it.

[@EB01]

Whittaker's Milk Chocolate bar is a classic favourite for me.

[@jaimel4740]

The last L in the Nahuatl word xocolatl is silent. Xoco means bitter, atl means water.

[@klairdelun456]

I lived in germany for several years and now I find Hershey's bars too bland and waxy

[@OmarsHafsa]

Toblerone.

[@Nasreenart]

You have not lived until you have eaten a Fry's chocolate cream bar, pure decadence. 🤤

[@cheeseisgreat24]

3 Musketeers y'all