Chocolate: Food of the Gods

Reading Reflection- 

One of today’s most loved delicacies, chocolate, had very humble beginnings in Mesoamerica, where it was consumed for spiritual/ritual purposes- and still is. They made their way to Spain where it was used for medicinal purposes with respect to the European medical theory of the time: the Galenic theory of the humors. The theory is central in understanding the anatomical and physiological knowledge of the time. It was the determining factor in prescribing medicines and foods to a sick patient. In accordance to this theory, cacao was given cold and dry properties, meaning it’s most likely to produce melancholy. 

The first evidence of chocolate appearing in Spain concerns the Kekchi Mayans of Guatemala, who in 1544 visited Prince Philip in Spain to thank him, brining with them several presents from their distant land; however, the first commercial shipment of cocoa from Mexico to Spain didn’t arrive until 1585. Evidence provides a variety of ways in which it was prepared: iced, hot, with milk and eggs, with biscuit, pepper, jasmine, amber, vanilla, cinnamon, or musk. Chocolate made its way across Italy through the international religious network of Jesuit monasteries and covenants, which by then was linking Europe with Latin America. They not only gladly adopted the habit of drinking chocolate but also decided to profit from trading cacao. 

Francesco Redi was a poet, scientist, philologist, and physician to his patron Cosimo III de’ Medici. Among his most famous works works that is still held in great esteem as one of the best literary works of the 17th century is titled Bacco in Toscana. In this poem, recited in honor of Bacchus, god of wine, Redi expresses great reverence and devotion to the vineyards and wines of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. In contrast, he vehemently rejects three non-classical drinks: coffee, tea, and chocolate. He dismisses them as drinks for the Arabs, Turks, and slaves. Describing it as a ‘Foe of mankind’, he declares that it was invented in Tartarus, a part of the underworld where people were punished for their misdeeds, and he would rather take poison than drink it.

Despite the rhetoric of his poem, chocolate was very popular in noble houses and princely courts because of its ability to fortify the stomach and improve overall health. Despite the fact that the Spanish were the first to receive and manipulate chocolate, it was the Tuscan court that was the first to infuse it with flavors in order to compete with the popularity of Spanish chocolate. Redi’s alchemical knowledge produced an elaborate and secret recipe for jasmine chocolate, Cosimo III’s favorite. Not only  was it a testament to the duke’s wealth but it served as a symbol of Medici taste, refinement, and power. 

Chocolate’s conquest of Baroque Europe began with the contact between Spaniards and indigenous populations in Mesoamerica which opened a gateway in European markets for foods. As Europeans caught the chocolate craze, new techniques and recipes were developed and chocolate became the latest and greatest fad to hit the royal European courts. Between 1550-1750 chocolate spread from Spain among European nobility mainly in Italy, France, and England, effortlessly conquering each region’s palate. Thanks to this extended period of culinary and manufacturing innovation, chocolate consumption rapidly expanded, with the pharmaceutical uses of cocoa also explored, which isn’t surprising given the properties its earliest consumers attributed to it.

Painting close reading:  Allegory of happiness by Agnolo Bronzino 

 Judging by the title, the painting is an allegorical depiction of Happiness (in the center), which what seems like cupid under her right arm. The wheel of destiny and enemies of peace lay on the ground as she holds her stature gracefully in triumph. Above her is an angel holding a laurel garland, which against a background of an emanating white glow can only mean she’s a depiction of glory. Another angel to the left is blowing a trumpet, a symbol often employed to depict fame. Happiness is wearing pink and blue, holding a bouquet of abundant fruits with her left arm and a wand with her right. Her attire stands in contrast to the naked bodies of the figures around her. The figures are smooth, stroked by color only gently. The men are depicted in a more sluggish and drawn manner as opposed to the round and well-defined young women surrounding her. In the bouquet are lemons, grapes, oranges, and what looks like a cucumber.