‘Genuinely scholarly and highly entertaining ... erudite and delightful’ – The Sunday Telegraph

‘Begins with the origins of the cacao tree and follows the story up to today’s mass-produced chocolate candy and its expensive boutique counterparts.... A pleasure, not just for chocoholics but for anyone who enjoys lively, thorough historical sleuthing via the printed page’ — Gourmet

‘The definitive chocolate bible’ — Chantal Coady, author of 'Real Chocolate'

‘A true classic’ — The Literary Review

‘Richly detailed and illustrated ... a delightful work’ — Independent on Sunday

‘A beautifully written and illustrated history of the Food of the Gods, from the Olmecs to present-day developments’ — Chocolatier

‘A splendid treat’ — New York Review of Books

This is the most richly detailed and illustrated investigation into the story of the world's favourite food.

The book begins 3,000 years ago in the Mexican jungles and goes on to investigate archaeology, history, botany and socio-economics. Used as currency and traded by the Aztecs; chocolate arrived in Europe via the Spanish conquistadors, and soon became a favourite drink with aristocrats. By the 19th century, chocolate had lost its mystique, with industrialization making chocolate a food for the masses - until its promotion in our own time as a luxury item.

Sophie D. Coe, an anthropologist and food historian, was the author of America’s First Cuisines. Michael D. Coe, Charles J. MacCurdy Professor of Anthropology, Emeritus, Yale University, is the author of Breaking the Maya Code, The Maya, Mexico, Reading the Maya Glyphs and Final Report.

Also of interest
The True History of Tea
Food: The History of Taste
Mexico by Michael D. Coe
The Maya – 8th edition by Michael D. Coe
Breaking the Maya Code by Michael D. Coe