Chocolate was first developed by the indigenous Mexican peoples such as the Aztecs, all of whom regarded chocolate and the cacao plant to be a divine gift from theire gods. The Aztecs believed that chocolate had many magical powers, and that it was the source of wisdom and power as well as being an aphrodisiac.

It is said that the Aztec ruler Montezuma drank fifty cups of chocolate a day, usually before visiting his harem.

After the Spanish conquered Mexico, chocolate was inroduced to Europe and as its popularity grew, cacao plantations were set up throughout the new world and later even Africa and Asia.

There was initially a great deal of controversy in Europe about whether chocolate was healthful or harmful and also whether it was a food or a drink (chocolate was initially mostly used as a beverage.) 

The issue of whether chocolate was food or drink was an important one in Renaissance Europe for religious reasons: if it were a food then it should not be consumed during Lent.  

The jury is still out on whether chocolate is good for you or not, but most chocolate addicts would tend to agree with Doctor Bachot, the physician to Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, who stated:

"Well-made chocolate is such a noble invention that it, rather than nectar and ambrosia, should be known as the food of the gods."