The True History of Chocolate, Second Edition

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(4 stars) - Great Pre-Industrial Revolution Book on Chocolate, Light on Modern History
I really enjoyed this book and learning about the Mayan / Aztec custom of Cocoa, how it was prepared, grown and used in their society. How the Europeans learned of this exotic "bean" and slowly adopted it. But as being a member of the Food Industry, the book was very light on the modern history of chocolate, how it is prepared and the changes that chocolate went through the last two hundred years. Felt a little robbed at the end.

(5 stars) - Yum
I love chocolate. Honestly, I don't know anyone in my circle of friends who doesn't. so when I saw that there was an entire book dedicated to discussing it, well... it was a short walk to the counter. This is a fascinating history. I didn't read the second edition, but I can't imagine it's too different from the first, which was a quick and easy read, and full of entertaining anecdotes.

(4 stars) - Impressively researched
This is not the easiest of reads because the style is a little dry and academic. However, this is a serious book and an enormous amount of research has gone into it. Be warned that the first third of the book is set in pre-conquest Latin America and, unless you are a student of the period, it can be quite hard going handling the geography, history and difficult names all at one time! That aside, this is a book for readers that have a serious interest in the roots of cacao and chocolate. Such readers will be well rewarded by this book. In addition, if you are interested in more information about cacao itself, then also read Allen Young's The Chocolate Tree - a Natural History of Chocolate. It's more difficult to read than this one, but no less important.

(1 stars) - Protestant Chocolate And Anglophile Myopia?
I was very disappointed at how the author managed to taint a fascinating story with his own personal biases. His relentless attacks on the Spanish, the Catholic Church and the whole of the Catholic world was offensive. When I was being educated in the 50's and 60's, this sort of anglocentrism was standard. Today, it is inexcusable. No matter what excesses the Spanish or other Catholics committed in the Americas, the English (along with their American apologists) and Protestants in general have no higher ground to stand on. In Latin America, there still exist large and vibrant native populations. In North America (where I live), Native Americans are few in number an relegated to tiny patches of land. How did the englightened Protestants allow this to happen?

Back to Mr Coe's writing, he was relentless (not to mention tiresome) in assigning negative adjective to all things and persons Spanish or Catholic. Instead of celebrating the Spanish adoption of chocolate, it was treated as theft. Rather than giving credit to Catholics for introducing it to Europe, they are demonized as a corrupt elite. When Protestant Europe happens upon chocolate, the author is effusive in his praise. When chocolate becomes part of the English Industrial Revolution, Mr Coe ignores all of England's crimes against humanity and heaps compliments upon its chocolate-making and merchandising.

Had the book provided the history of chocolate outside the context of religion, it might have been wonderful. Regrettably, it is bogged down by unnecessary prejudices and facile evaluations of persons, peoples and societies. I would not recommend this book to anyone, Protestant or Catholic.

(4 stars) - Delicious Chocolate
Good book, well researched, but not much different to other books written on this subject. However, as a chocolate addict anything written about the best food on earth gets me in and for the research content and general easy to read writing style I give it a 4 star rating.

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