How did the Aztecs make their chocolate from the cocoa bean?

How did the Aztecs make their chocolate from the cocoa bean?

The simplest mix was cacao with ground maize (corn) and water, providing a healthy, ‘cheap-and-cheerful’ gruel, that 16th century Spanish friar Toribio Motolinía described as ‘a very common drink’. Frequently combined with ground chilli, this ‘poor man’s chocolate’ was consumed throughout Mesoamerica.

How much were cocoa beans worth in Aztec?

Around 24 years after the Spanish Conquest in, cacao beans were used to set market prices in Tlaxcalla (“Aztecs at Mexicolore”). By 1555, a fixed exchange rate was established in a decree, establishing the value of the cocoa beans at a ratio of 140 beans to one Spanish real (“A Tasty Currency: Cocoa”).

What did Aztecs do with cocoa beans?

The Aztecs took chocolate admiration to another level. They believed cacao was given to them by their gods. Like the Mayans, they enjoyed the caffeinated kick of hot or cold, spiced chocolate beverages in ornate containers, but they also used cacao beans as currency to buy food and other goods.

What did poor Aztecs eat?

Unfortunately,the Aztecs who were poor mostly ate corn flower cooked as porridge or baked into thin pancakes called tortillas. Other things that poor Aztecs ate included slugs,tadpoles,flies and worms. The Aztecs enjoyed eating sweet potatoes,beans and avocadoes.

What fruits and vegetables did the Aztecs eat?

Among the most prominent fruits and vegetables were chili peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onions and avocados. The Aztec people also grew several different types of squash, such as zucchini and pumpkins. The people ate the squash seeds as well, Smith notes.

At what age did the Aztecs get married?

Aztec family law generally followed customary law. Men got married between the ages of 20-22, and women generally got married at 15 to 18 years of age. Parents and relatives decided when and who their children would marry, and sometimes used marriage brokers.