As a subject matter expert in the history of food and trade, I can provide you with a detailed account of how chocolate became popular in Europe.

Chocolate's journey to Europe began with the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, who cultivated cacao trees and produced a frothy beverage from the cacao beans. The Spanish first encountered chocolate during the conquest of the Aztec Empire in the early 16th century.
Hernán Cortés, a Spanish conquistador, is credited with bringing chocolate to Spain after he was introduced to it by Montezuma, the Aztec emperor.

Initially, the Spanish kept the chocolate drink a secret, modifying it to suit European tastes by adding sugar and vanilla to make it sweeter and more palatable. This sweetened chocolate was a stark contrast to the bitter drink preferred by the Mesoamericans. The Spanish introduced it to the Spanish court, where it quickly became a symbol of luxury and was consumed by the elite.

The popularity of chocolate began to spread across Europe through trade and diplomatic gifts. As the Holy Roman Empire and other European powers established trade routes and colonial holdings in the Americas, chocolate became more widely available. The French and English, in particular, developed a taste for it and began to establish their own chocolate houses, which were social hubs where chocolate was served alongside other beverages.

The Industrial Revolution played a significant role in making chocolate more accessible to the masses. Innovations in manufacturing allowed for the mass production of chocolate, which led to a decrease in its price and an increase in its consumption. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, companies like Cadbury and Hershey had developed methods to make chocolate more solid and easier to produce, which further fueled its popularity.

In summary, chocolate's popularity in Europe was the result of its introduction by the Spanish, its transformation to suit European tastes, the spread of the beverage through trade and diplomacy, and the mass production made possible by the Industrial Revolution.

read more >>

With the conquest of the New World, the Spanish brought cacao back to the Old World. ... Mixing cacao with honey and sugar made chocolate a more desired product in Europe. Soon, with the backing of the elite and nobles in Europe, chocolate became a highly valued drink.read more >>