A Brief History of Chocolate

It's Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, the old Celtic New Year, said to be a day for human sacrifice among the Druids, the holiday that paid for your dentist's BMW. Traditional activities for Halloween include Halloween festivals, costume parties, bonfires, visiting "haunted houses", viewing horror films, and, of course, trick-or-treating. The American tradition of "trick-or-treating" probably dates back to the early All Souls' Day parades in England. During the festivities, poor citizens would beg for food and families would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in return for their promise to pray for the family's dead relatives.

The distribution of soul cakes was encouraged by the church as a way to replace the ancient practice of leaving food and wine for roaming spirits. The practice, which was referred to as "going a-souling" was eventually taken up by children who would visit the houses in their neighborhood and be given ale, food, and money.

While chocolate is a poor substitute for ale, it is the treat of choice these days. This week, a brief history of chocolate.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin." - Linus Van Pelt in It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, as written by Charles Monroe Schulz (20th-century American cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip, 1922 – 2000)

Brief History of Chocolate