Cacaosophy

Early-Modern Ideas about Chocolate

THE CHOCOLATICAL BLOG

Paulli and the Ironies of History

Paulli and the Ironies of History

“I therefore hope, that for the future, the Europeans will be wise and reject Coffee, Chocolate, and Tea, since they are all either equally bad, or equally good” -Simon Paulli, 1661 (166-67) Despite what many early writers featured on this blog recount about chocolate being regarded as a healthy medicine, not all Europeans saw it that way, and some even considered it to be injurious. The debate among European doctors, explorers, and Jesuits lasted centuries. From the high cou

Chocolate as a Dietary Supplement

Chocolate as a Dietary Supplement

D. de Quélus, the author of the 1720 Natural History of Chocolate is a hard man to pin down. He goes by Quélus, Chélus, Caïlus, or Caylus. In The Universal Dictionary of Trade and Commerce, the author of the entry on cacao refers to Quélus as “a judicious traveler who had lived 15 years in the American islands, and who assiduously observed all that he asserts” (n.p.). That is indeed how Quélus presents himself in the preface to the treatise. He identifies himself as a person

Slam Duncan

Slam Duncan

Duncan provides a unique viewpoint against the sin of overindulgence in his 1705 treatise, Wholesome Advice Against the Abuse of Hot Liquors, Particularly of Coffee, Chocolate, Tea. Unwilling to play devil’s advocate, the treatise provides a passionate counter argument against the other theorists on chocolate, coffee, and tea. In his guise as the seventeenth century Simon Cowell, Duncan is not afraid to call others “idiots” or “bigots” (245), insulting them with vivid and poi

In Search of Succulence Lost

In Search of Succulence Lost

Chocolate is a favorite of in-vogue nutrition experts trying to expose the cure-all for human health. They have attributed many different and fantastic benefits to chocolate, including stroke prevention, intelligence, and a stronger heart (Heller, 2012; 2015). Besides health, chocolate also has a personality, being both romantic and classy. It has been paired with flowers as the perfect gift for Valentine's Day. Any food of this caliber deserves cookery of equal quality. If