Voiceover: Did you know that chocolate comes from a bean grown on a cacao plant? This cacao bean was first discovered in the Mesoamerican rainforest by the ancient Maya peoples. A pod from the cacao tree contains several beans inside. After the Mesoamerican Aztecs opened the pod and sun dried the beans, they crushed it and mixed it with water. By enjoying the taste, the Aztecs named it Xocolatl, which means bitter, foamy water. The Mesoamericans felt that this was a gift from their gods and was worth more than gold.
Themis Velgis, Chocolatier: A man can walk or work for days without eating anything, just eating pure chocolate. And that's why the Aztecs believed that chocolate was a gift from their gods.
Voiceover: Cacao beans are prepared by roasting, fermenting, and sun drying. The location of where the beans come from and how they were dried affect the taste of the chocolate.
Themis Velgis: We use a lot of spices; we use a lot of recipes. The Aztecs didn't eat the chocolate in a solid form. Instead, it was served as hot chocolate.
We use a lot of ingredients from the new world. We use corn, we use avocado, and we use chilies.
Voiceover: It is said that one of the most famous Mesoamerican emperors in history: Moctezuma, would drink between 12 to 16 glasses of hot chocolate a day.
Each time he drank hot chocolate it was served in a golden cup. And for every drink he had, a new cup was made.
Themis Velgis: Some people think that chocolate comes from France. Chocolate comes from the Americas, from Mexico, from the Amazons, from Central America.
Chocolate from Peru has a hint of bananas. The environment and the soil give that specific flavour to the chocolate. Cuba grows a lot of molasses, cane, and tobacco. So, you can taste the cane and molasses flavour in the chocolate and in some cases, there are also tobacco hints. Chocolate from Brazil has a nutty, cinnamon flavour. It's amazing how each chocolate has its own personality.