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The Book of Chocolate: The Amazing Story of the World's Favorite Candy
Chosen as a "Best STEM Books K-12" by The National Science Teachers Association
Chocolate . . .
- Its scientific name means "food of the gods."
- The Aztecs mixed it with blood and gave it to sacrificial victims to drink.
- The entire town of Hershey, Pennsylvania was built by Milton Hershey to support his chocolate factory. Its streetlights are shaped like chocolate Kisses.
- The first men to climb to the top of Mount Everest buried a chocolate bar there as an offering to the gods of the mountain.
- Every twenty-four hours, the U.S. chocolate industry goes through eight million pounds of sugar.
- Its special flavor is created by a combination of 600 to 1000 different chemical compounds
Join science author HP Newquist as he explores chocolate's fascinating history. Along the way you'll meet colorful characters like the feathered-serpent god Quetzalcoatl, who gave chocolate trees to the Aztecs; Henri Nestle, who invented milk chocolate while trying to save the lives of babies who couldn't nurse; and the quarrelsome Mars family, who split into two warring factions, one selling Milky Way, Snickers, and 3 Musketeers bars, the other Mars Bars and M&M's. From its origin as the sacred, bitter drink of South American rulers to the familiar candy bars sold by today's multimillion dollar businesses, people everywhere have fallen in love with chocolate, the world's favorite flavor.
Chocolate . . .
- Its scientific name means "food of the gods."
- The Aztecs mixed it with blood and gave it to sacrificial victims to drink.
- The entire town of Hershey, Pennsylvania was built by Milton Hershey to support his chocolate factory. Its streetlights are shaped like chocolate Kisses.
- The first men to climb to the top of Mount Everest buried a chocolate bar there as an offering to the gods of the mountain.
- Every twenty-four hours, the U.S. chocolate industry goes through eight million pounds of sugar.
- Its special flavor is created by a combination of 600 to 1000 different chemical compounds
Join science author HP Newquist as he explores chocolate's fascinating history. Along the way you'll meet colorful characters like the feathered-serpent god Quetzalcoatl, who gave chocolate trees to the Aztecs; Henri Nestle, who invented milk chocolate while trying to save the lives of babies who couldn't nurse; and the quarrelsome Mars family, who split into two warring factions, one selling Milky Way, Snickers, and 3 Musketeers bars, the other Mars Bars and M&M's. From its origin as the sacred, bitter drink of South American rulers to the familiar candy bars sold by today's multimillion dollar businesses, people everywhere have fallen in love with chocolate, the world's favorite flavor.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
About the author
H.P. Newquist
26 books90 followersHP Newquist has written more than 30 books, including national award winners This Will Kill You, Here There Be Monsters, and The Book Of Blood. Newquist has regularly explored the reality underlying the things that scare us. Newquist’s newest books, BEHEMOTH and Ten Years Gone, are guaranteed to captivate - and scare - lovers of fiction.
Newquist writes about everything from music and medicine to technology and terror. His work has been published in numerous languages and has been cited by The New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, and hundreds of other publications around the world. He has received awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, The Library Guild, the New York Public Library, the NSTA, VOYA, and the Center For Children's Literature. He also happens to be the founder of The National GUITAR Museum.
Newquist writes about everything from music and medicine to technology and terror. His work has been published in numerous languages and has been cited by The New York Times, Publisher's Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, and hundreds of other publications around the world. He has received awards from the American Association for the Advancement of Science, The Library Guild, the New York Public Library, the NSTA, VOYA, and the Center For Children's Literature. He also happens to be the founder of The National GUITAR Museum.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 22, 2017
An engaging overview of the history of chocolate production and its role in modern food culture. Lots of fascinating trivia and history about chocolate. While there is a three-page section on the negative consequences of the modern chocolate industry--including the continued enslavement of cocoa field workers, I felt that the author could have included more information about the effects of the plantation system and slavery during colonization, which was barely mentioned. Referring to the Aztecs' behavior as "savage" is a poor word choice that reinforces negative stereotypes.
March 28, 2017
A comprehensive book on chocolate that not only details the cocoa plant and how cocoa is harvested but how it was discovered by what civilizations, how it was used and in what ways was it important to their society, through the big companies that then began to manufacture it, the kinds of chocolate that exist and why, the rivalries and philanthropists that profited and helped through it, and how it's a part of our chemistry, DNA, and holidays.
Enjoyed it immensely if only to justify why chocolate is the best!
"Americans eat an average of ten pounds per person per year, while Europeans eat as much as twenty-five pounds."
Enjoyed it immensely if only to justify why chocolate is the best!
"Americans eat an average of ten pounds per person per year, while Europeans eat as much as twenty-five pounds."
October 18, 2017
Totally delicious in every way. I'll have a new and informed appreciation for the source, manufacture and process of chocolate making the next time I gently bite, savor and ruminate over my next Cadbury Fruit and Nut Bar or Lindor Chocolate. Yum. I'm a European chocolate devotee, no question.
June 19, 2024
This is a great book. I learned so much!
July 22, 2017
I need to explain something here. I'm a huge, HUGE fan of those "How Stuff is Made" programmes. I've been known to fall into black holes on YouTube for hours watching everyday items being made. So, when I spotted this on my Borrowbox library app, I thought it was interesting enough to borrow.
It's short, I think it's aimed at teenagers, and it'd be great for anyone who was doing a school project on chocolate.
"No other food has the power to evoke emotions the way chocolate does. If you don't think so, try giving someone chicken as a gift on Valentine's Day. Or try filling a Halloween bag with different kinds of cheese"
I need to come clean here and say - GIVE ME THAT BAG OF CHEESE. I am not a chocolate lover, the only feelings that this book evoke in me are ones of pure curiosity.
If you're someone who also loves those programmes, or just likes to have an arsenal of pub quiz facts at your disposal, this is a nice read. I learned all about how chocolate came to be, how it evolved, how the biggest chocolate companies in the world began, and the origins of the most popular chocolates we know today. I also learned that there isn't a scrap of chocolate in white chocolate and I feel utterly DUPED by that Milky Bar kid. I also learned why cheap generic chocolate tastes so awful, and how the success of M&Ms was partly down to World War II.
Oh, and also - MIND BLOWN - without midges, those bloody annoying little flies that bite like bejaysus, there would be no chocolate. None.
It's short, I think it's aimed at teenagers, and it'd be great for anyone who was doing a school project on chocolate.
"No other food has the power to evoke emotions the way chocolate does. If you don't think so, try giving someone chicken as a gift on Valentine's Day. Or try filling a Halloween bag with different kinds of cheese"
I need to come clean here and say - GIVE ME THAT BAG OF CHEESE. I am not a chocolate lover, the only feelings that this book evoke in me are ones of pure curiosity.
If you're someone who also loves those programmes, or just likes to have an arsenal of pub quiz facts at your disposal, this is a nice read. I learned all about how chocolate came to be, how it evolved, how the biggest chocolate companies in the world began, and the origins of the most popular chocolates we know today. I also learned that there isn't a scrap of chocolate in white chocolate and I feel utterly DUPED by that Milky Bar kid. I also learned why cheap generic chocolate tastes so awful, and how the success of M&Ms was partly down to World War II.
Oh, and also - MIND BLOWN - without midges, those bloody annoying little flies that bite like bejaysus, there would be no chocolate. None.
June 20, 2017
Dang it! I thought this was slow. I didn't need so many details on the process or individual candy bars. Would have loved more information on chocolate plantations today.
October 19, 2021
IF YOU COULD ONLY READ ONE BOOK ABOUT CHOCOLATE -- PICK THIS ONE -- This was the core title that I used in the book I wrote LEARNING WITH CHOCOLATE: A HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
SUMMARY: Join science author HP Newquist as he explores chocolate’s fascinating history. Along the way you’ll meet colorful characters like the feathered-serpent god Quetzalcoatl, who gave cocoa trees to the Aztecs; Henri Nestle, who inadvertently contributed to the creation of milk chocolate while trying to save the lives of babies who couldn’t nurse; and the quarrelsome Mars family, who split into warring factions selling Milky Way Snickers, and 3 Musketeers bars, and became one of America’s wealthiest families. From its origin as the sacred, better drink of Central America rulers to the familiar candy bars sold by today’s multimillion-dollar businesses, people everywhere have fallen in love with chocolate, the world’s favorite flavor. (from book jacket)
Science & Technology
• The intricate mixing, while no longer a secret, still required complex preparation (p30)
• The most important invention for chocolate created by Coenraad Van Houten in Amsterdam 1820 which was used to grind cocoa (pp33-34)
• Postwar chocolate making was all about efficiency….better factories, better shipping, better refrigeration, faster time from factory to store. (p84)
• Types of machines to make chocolate (pp102-108)
Chemistry
• Chemistry of chocolate (pp34-37)
• …more than six hundred known chemical compounds in raw chocolate (p110)
• Sound/feel/look/smell/taste (pp119-121)
Biology – Chapter 1 – What Is Chocolate, Really?
• Rain Forest (below the equator)
• Growing Period
• Harvest Time
• Types of trees (p100)
Health
• The most healthful and most nutritious food of all (p20)
History – Chapter 2 – The Mysterious History of Chocolate &
Chapter 3 – Columbus, Cores, Conquistadors, and Cocoa
• First evidence of chocolate use came from people who inhabited Central America (p9)
• …the Spanish did not share cocoa with other countries or their
trading partners, fearing that others might try to take the scarce
beans for themselves. The Spanish jealously guarded cocoa as
their own New World secret. (p22)
• …the Dutch traders were able to keep international business going while kings and queens squabbled with each other. (p26)
• Different countries obtained chocolate in different ways. (p29)
• Cocoa seller – Benedict Arnold. (p31)
• By the end of the 1700s cocoa was cheap enough that it became readily available to the public. (p33)
• Used in the US Military (pp61-62) & Ration D Bars (p80)
• CAUTION: There is information about chocolate used in human sacrifice ceremonies (pp12-13)
Business -- Chapter 6 – All in the Family
• Almost every chocolate development involves families (p40)
• Each country had its favorite type of chocolate, based largely on which company was the biggest chocolate seller in the nation. (p50)
• Hershey’s contract with the army meant that it could keep its factory open during wartime. (p80)
• Ruth Wakefield & first chocolate chip cookie (pp92-94)
• International Cocoa Organization (in London) lists more than 900 medium to large makers of chocolate (p122)
• Fair Trade (pp133-135)
PICK ONE OR TWO NAMES ON THE LIST OF FAMOUS NAMES IN CHOCOLATE (mentioned in this book) AND WRITE A ONE PAGE REPORT
TO SHARE WITH THE REST OR YOUR GROUP.
NOTE: Use the index in the back of the book to locate where in the book the person appears. The entries are in alphabetical order. Look up the person’s
last name in the index. If you are having trouble ask someone to help you in
using an index.
Francois-Louis Cailler
Coenraad Van Houten
Joseph Storrs Fry
John Cadbury
Daniel Peter
Henri Nestle
Rodolphe Lindt
Milton Snavely Hershey
Domingo Ghirardelli
Frank Mars
Otto Schnering
Theodor Tobler
Harry Reese
Forrest Mars
SUMMARY: Join science author HP Newquist as he explores chocolate’s fascinating history. Along the way you’ll meet colorful characters like the feathered-serpent god Quetzalcoatl, who gave cocoa trees to the Aztecs; Henri Nestle, who inadvertently contributed to the creation of milk chocolate while trying to save the lives of babies who couldn’t nurse; and the quarrelsome Mars family, who split into warring factions selling Milky Way Snickers, and 3 Musketeers bars, and became one of America’s wealthiest families. From its origin as the sacred, better drink of Central America rulers to the familiar candy bars sold by today’s multimillion-dollar businesses, people everywhere have fallen in love with chocolate, the world’s favorite flavor. (from book jacket)
Science & Technology
• The intricate mixing, while no longer a secret, still required complex preparation (p30)
• The most important invention for chocolate created by Coenraad Van Houten in Amsterdam 1820 which was used to grind cocoa (pp33-34)
• Postwar chocolate making was all about efficiency….better factories, better shipping, better refrigeration, faster time from factory to store. (p84)
• Types of machines to make chocolate (pp102-108)
Chemistry
• Chemistry of chocolate (pp34-37)
• …more than six hundred known chemical compounds in raw chocolate (p110)
• Sound/feel/look/smell/taste (pp119-121)
Biology – Chapter 1 – What Is Chocolate, Really?
• Rain Forest (below the equator)
• Growing Period
• Harvest Time
• Types of trees (p100)
Health
• The most healthful and most nutritious food of all (p20)
History – Chapter 2 – The Mysterious History of Chocolate &
Chapter 3 – Columbus, Cores, Conquistadors, and Cocoa
• First evidence of chocolate use came from people who inhabited Central America (p9)
• …the Spanish did not share cocoa with other countries or their
trading partners, fearing that others might try to take the scarce
beans for themselves. The Spanish jealously guarded cocoa as
their own New World secret. (p22)
• …the Dutch traders were able to keep international business going while kings and queens squabbled with each other. (p26)
• Different countries obtained chocolate in different ways. (p29)
• Cocoa seller – Benedict Arnold. (p31)
• By the end of the 1700s cocoa was cheap enough that it became readily available to the public. (p33)
• Used in the US Military (pp61-62) & Ration D Bars (p80)
• CAUTION: There is information about chocolate used in human sacrifice ceremonies (pp12-13)
Business -- Chapter 6 – All in the Family
• Almost every chocolate development involves families (p40)
• Each country had its favorite type of chocolate, based largely on which company was the biggest chocolate seller in the nation. (p50)
• Hershey’s contract with the army meant that it could keep its factory open during wartime. (p80)
• Ruth Wakefield & first chocolate chip cookie (pp92-94)
• International Cocoa Organization (in London) lists more than 900 medium to large makers of chocolate (p122)
• Fair Trade (pp133-135)
PICK ONE OR TWO NAMES ON THE LIST OF FAMOUS NAMES IN CHOCOLATE (mentioned in this book) AND WRITE A ONE PAGE REPORT
TO SHARE WITH THE REST OR YOUR GROUP.
NOTE: Use the index in the back of the book to locate where in the book the person appears. The entries are in alphabetical order. Look up the person’s
last name in the index. If you are having trouble ask someone to help you in
using an index.
Francois-Louis Cailler
Coenraad Van Houten
Joseph Storrs Fry
John Cadbury
Daniel Peter
Henri Nestle
Rodolphe Lindt
Milton Snavely Hershey
Domingo Ghirardelli
Frank Mars
Otto Schnering
Theodor Tobler
Harry Reese
Forrest Mars
April 15, 2019
This was very detailed. It had a lot of history. I would have liked more of the book to be current information on how chocolate is produced and made. I also found a few errors in the chocolate making process- mainly that the book said chocolate is tempered as it cools within a mold. Chocolate must be tempered while it is melted before it is put into the mold. This would be a good book for anyone wanting to know more about chocolate. It does seem kid-ish at times, but at other points it was a bit thick. I wasn't exactly excited to keep reading but it was informative.
July 2, 2017
This is not an easy review to write. Parts of the book I enjoyed, parts dragged and other parts left me wondering just how much research was done it felt incomplete. It is a good book for Middle-grade students for doing a research project. Does have some interesting facts and history but overall an ok book.
February 14, 2018
Great history of all things chocolate!
August 7, 2018
Loved it! I love chocolate so you could not go wrong with this. :D
February 9, 2020
Very interesting! What a history, and what an impact chocolate has made!
April 9, 2023
Really good, really fascinating
March 28, 2026
I read this soon after "Wild Chocolate" and between those two, it's the exact chocolate education I wanted! I'm so pleased I got to read this. I ran out and bought a bunch of candy mentioned in this book and thought of buying others. How exciting! I hope this is widely read.
Read
December 15, 2017Beautiful and informative book on Chocolate.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews