5 of the best books about chocolate to read this World Chocolate Day

The Olmec culture flourished in modern-day Mexico around 3,500 years ago. Now most famous for their so-called “colossal head” artworks, this ancient civilisation may also be responsible for another important invention.

Olmec pots from around 1500BC have been found to contain traces of a compound present in chocolate.

Fast-forward a few millennia, and as we celebrate World Chocolate Day 2022 on 7 July, we may well owe our thanks to the ancient Olmecs.

In celebration of our favourite sweet treat – and to whet your appetite for the big day – here’s a rundown of some of the best books about chocolate to settle down with this month.

1. The True History of Chocolate by Sophie and Michael Coe

Husband and wife writing team, Sophie and Michael Coe published the original edition of their comprehensive history in 1996. Since then, further discoveries into human’s use of the cacao plant suggest that chocolate could be even older than we first believed.

In the third edition of The True History… they suggest that Theobroma cacao might have been domesticated earlier in the Olmec civilization, during the mid-Holocene, some 5,300 years ago. Theobroma translates as “food of the gods”.

From this starting point, the story moves from the Mayans and the Aztecs to Europe during the Enlightenment of the 18th century.

The book ends with a look at the mass-market appeal of chocolate today and the ethical questions associated with its manufacture. This latter point is especially poignant as our collective social conscience around sustainability and the future of our planet finds itself increasingly in the spotlight.

2. Chocolat by Joanne Harris

Harris’s 1999 novel Chocolat has spawned two sequels, The Lollipop Shoes, and Peaches for Monsieur le Curé, published in 2007 and 2012, respectively.

The book was also the basis for a film of the same name starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, with Dame Judi Dench and Alfred Molina among the supporting cast.

The novel follows Vianne Rocher and her daughter Anouk. The pair arrive in the small French village Lansquenet-sous-Tannes to open a chocolate shop called La CĂ©leste Praline. Situated in the town square, opposite the church, confrontation with the local priest is inevitable, especially as Vianne arrives in town at the start of Lent.

Vianne uses the power of chocolate, her empathy and guile, and a sprinkling of magic to win over the townspeople and change their lives for the better.

3. The Science of Chocolate by Stephen T Beckett

In 1988, Beckett wrote a paper for School Science Review, outlining some of the scientific processes behind the making of chocolate. He included two experiments that could be carried out by students in the classroom.

Touring schools and universities with a talk based on this paper, and aimed to encourage children to study the sciences, he was approached by the Royal Society of Chemistry to write a book. The Science of Chocolate is the result.

Especially useful for students studying food sciences courses or teachers looking for new classroom experiments (the book’s latest edition contains 20 experiments), there is something for everyone here.

From an in-depth look at individual ingredients to the processes involved at each stage, you’ll also find the answers to some important questions, like “How do you make a Flake flaky without it falling apart on the way to the supermarket?” and “Where do the bubbles in an Aero really come from?”

4. The Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury

Growing up with the knowledge that her family owned a chocolate factory filled a young Deborah Cadbury with wonder.

And yet, after joining the BBC in 1978 and enjoying a career as an author, historian, and television producer, it took Cadbury until 2010 to write about the family business.

The Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World’s Greatest Chocolate Makers tracks the history of the great chocolatiers. It moves from the so-called “Quaker Capitalism” (a term Cadbury coined) of the 19th-century to the arrival of the other chocolate giants – NestlĂ©, Lindt, Hershey – all struggling for a slice of the global profit share.

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl’s third book for children – after The Gremlins (1943) and James and the Giant Peach (1961) – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory became one of the author’s most enduring works.

Charlie Bucket and his family live all together “in a small wooden house on the edge of a large town”. Very poor, Charlie’s parents dream of a better life for him. But only Mr Bucket has a job – screwing caps onto tubes of toothpaste – and Charlie’s mother is kept busy looking after the family’s older generations.

When local entrepreneur and eccentric factory-owner Willy Wonka announces a competition, Charlie and his family dare to dream. Inside bars of Wonka chocolate are hidden five golden tickets. The prize: a magical tour of Willy Wonka’s world-famous factory.

This much-loved book has twice been filmed, starring Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, respectively, in the role of Wonka.

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