Day 7 - The Chocolate Museum

This 14 year old museum is devoted to chocolate. There is 600 sq m of exhibition space which focuses on the connection between the region and chocolate.

Chocolate was not that popular at first as without any sweetner the coco bean is quite bitter. The ancient Aztecs and Mayan civilizations traded chocolate like money. They also created an awful tasting drink called Xocoati used for medicinal purposes. See chocolate really can make things better

Chocolate came to Europe via Mexico starting in 1520. A Cistercian monk shipped it along with the chocolate recipe to the abbot. At the Cistercian Monestary of Poblet there is a room with a chimney above the cloister, the chocolate room, where monks would enjoy this drink. At first the drink was cold until the Austrians heated it creating the first hot chocolate beverage. See I knew I liked Vienna for a reason.

But I must say you need to eat more chocolate people, we didn't even make the consumption list per person a year and I can't do it all on my own. Check out the list:

Switzerland 10kg
Great Britain 7kg
Germany 7kg
USA 5kg
France 4kg
Japan 3kg
Spain 2kgRead more