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China's 1st chocolate park debutes in Beijing
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Residents and travelers in Beijing can visit the China's firtst chocolate theme park – the Chocolate Wonderland -- on the square at the north side of the Bird's Nest Stadium on January 29. |
History of chocolate
According to Wikipedia.org, chocolate has been used as a drink for nearly all of its history. In November 2007, archaeologists reported finding evidence of the oldest known cultivation and use of cacao at a site in Puerto Escondido, Honduras, dating from about 1100 to 1400 BC.
Until the 16th century, no European had ever heard of the popular drink from the Central and South American peoples. It was not until the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs that chocolate could be imported to Europe. In Spain it quickly became a court favorite.
The first chocolate house opened in London in 1657. In 1689, noted physician and collector Hans Sloane developed a milk chocolate drink in Jamaica which was initially used by apothecaries.
For hundreds of years, the chocolate making process remained unchanged. When the Industrial Revolution arrived from the 18th to the 19th century, many changes occurred that brought about the food today in its modern form. A Dutch family's (van Houten) inventions made mass production of shiny, tasty chocolate bars and related products possible. In the 1700s, mechanical mills were created that squeezed out cocoa butter, which in turn helped to create hard, durable chocolate.
