For the Love
          of Chocolate
An exhibit celebrating a timeless confection

February 14 - April 11, 2004
2nd Floor, West Wing

Perhaps no other sweet inspires such passion and emotion as chocolate--a substance coveted by humans since the days of Montezuma, when cacao beans served the Aztecs as both a currency and a tribute for kings and gods. Consumed as a liquid--a mixture of ground cocoa nibs with water, maize and spice--the drink failed to impress Christopher Columbus and so was not brought to Europe until 1528 when Cortez introduced it to the Spanish court, who managed to keep it a well-guarded secret for almost a century. Eventually, the chocolate fad spread throughout Europe and reached a turning point in 1847 when a London company discovered how to market it as a solid. Solid chocolate soon became an international industry.

Unlike coffee or tobacco, chocolate was immediately perceived as beneficial and was credited with a variety of curative properties. Contemporary scientists have proposed that certain foods--including chocolate--"stimulate the release of chemicals in the brain's pleasure center," validating what chocolate lovers have always known.

Exhibit produced by Anita Ezzo
With graphics assistance from Theresa Moore and Sara Cook
Antique candy boxes & metal molds courtesy of Caruso's Candy (Meridian Mall)