Nothing says Valentine's Day quite like chocolate, but long before it was paired with hearts and flowers, chocolate played important roles in cultures around the world, according to a new book co-edited by a UC Davis nutritional geographer.
"Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage," was edited by Louis Grivetti, a professor emeritus in the UC Davis Department of Nutrition, and Howard-Yana Shapiro, a plant scientist with Mars Inc. It offers a scholarly examination of chocolate, from ancient civilizations to the present.
"Chocolate is the glue that has held people together from remote antiquity to the 21st century, serving as food, medicine and an object of barter, " Grivetti said. "The story of chocolate is the story of human nature, replete with joy, heartache and even treachery.
"Perhaps no other food, except wine, has such a rich history that can be gleaned by searching the dusty archives of museums and libraries of the world," he said.
The new book is the product of the Chocolate History Group, formed in 1998 by UC Davis and Mars Inc. to document the history of chocolate. It features 56 chapters that explore a broad range of chocolate-related topics. The writings represent the work of more than 100 contributors from such diverse fields as anthropology, archaeology, biochemistry, culinary arts, gender studies, engineering, history, linguistics, nutrition and paleography.
The authors explore the role of chocolate through the ages in its many forms in cuisine, medicine, economics and even religion, with careful documentation throughout. They offer an overview of historical chocolate recipes and highlight chocolate's use during various periods in American history.
The 984-page hardcover book, published by John Wiley and Sons, includes 150 color illustrations, as well as new and previously unpublished information. It will be available by the end of February.
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