Aphrodisiac Chocolate History

Surely you have heard that chocolate is a substitute for sex. Obviously this is only for people that are not very healthy. Why don’t we just say that it is instead a complement? Chocolate was recognized by the Aztecs as a “delight of the gods” from pre Hispanic times and is also mentioned as a stimulant for couples.

Today it has been scientifically proven that chocolate contains a substance that activates when a person is in love causing a feeling of enthusiasm and joy.

Legends aside, the truth is that cacao has a high revitalizing effect on the nervous system. It contains theobromine, which helps to combat fatigue and acts as a stimulant of the mental abilities, which are two advantages to have in order to improve your sex life.

In the XVII century the monks were prohibited to drink or eat it because of the fear that it would lead them to fall for the sins of the flesh.

In other words chocolate, which is eaten by children and teenagers with so much freedom and approval, it was attributed the power of increasing the sexual desire and capacity.

Its aphrodisiac value was exalted for example, by the marques of Sade, organizer of a celebrated orgy where, with chocolate tablets, was able to liberate the assistants of their inhibitions. The marques himself did not stop eating it, in great quantities, during his long years in prison.

There was a drink made out of the base of cacao that was believed to, in the time of the conquest of America, have powers and gave strength and vigor to those that drank it, since it was made out of a mixture of wine or fermented pure, along with spices, paprika and pepper. In that time it was a bitter drink, but apparently very enriching in the field of love.

The history of chocolate began for the Europeans with the arrival of Spanish conquistadors to Mexico. It is said that the Aztec emperor Moctezuma ate fresh fish everyday that was brought by the slaves by foot from Veracruz, with a similar relief system to that of the Peruvian Chasquis. And that he also ate chocolate, lots of chocolate.

In those times, during the numerous parties and sport events, or religious initiation rituals all kinds of things were eaten such as, turkey meat, pigeon, iguanas, and Aztec dogs, which was a breed that was bred in corrals.

They would roast the meats and season them with salt and chili. 

In the morning all the men, who were served by their women, would drink hot chocolate with a piece of chili. During the rest of the day they would drink it cold. The men would arrive from the fields at the first hours of the afternoon and ate their main meal, which was a base of corn tortillas, beans and chocolate.

They had a custom of washing their hands and mouth after having eaten and taking a daily bath that they called temascal. These hygiene habits were not in that time very known about in the European Culture.

Although it is said that Hernan Cortes was amongst one of the first Europeans that tried chocolate, Christopher Columbus first knew about cacao, although, it is known he did not pay the owed attention to it. it is said that the Genoese admiral in 1502, during his fourth trip to the New World, found near the island of the Pinos an indigenous ship that had 25 oars, the biggest he had seen until then. According to the same chronic it was a Mayan ship, from where they transferred to Columbus’s caravels, cloth, copper objects and some seeds that were used to make a drink, and were also used as money exchange. These seeds were cacao seeds out of which chocolate is made.

Due to its religious value, the Mayas prepared cacao beverages for sacrifices and initiating rituals. The great part of cacao, dedicated to the god Chac, or Tlaloc, god of the rain, was celebrated in the coffee plantations. After the sacrifices they drank tchocolath – cacao wine – and obtained from it a cold, foamy, intoxicating drink of which they were not allowed to drink more than three jars.

They also drank chorote, made with cacao, corn and rain water.

Supposedly these activities concluded in the rooms of the women, with great parties and noise, which might have given the Spanish the idea that the drinks they drank had stimulating powers.