Chocolate milk
Need I say more? Something so delicious couldn't possibly be good for you, right
But did you know? Chocolate milk has been used as medicine for centuries
Why am I only hearing about this now? Why would anyone use chocolate milk as medicine
And what does it have to do with Cortez, the killer? Jamaica, an Irish botanist, and top athletes
Mix yourself a drink and join us as we pour over the history books
Can you imagine a world where there is no chocolate? From the dawn of time all the way until the end of the Middle Ages
the people of Europe had no idea chocolate was even a thing
As for chocolate milk, would you believe it was invented to make chocolate less gross? It turns out, pure cocoa from the cocoa bean does not taste very good
The ancient Mayans would blend pure cocoa with various spices and honey to combat the bitter
earthy taste. The result was a delicious frothy drink the Mayans regarded as fit for the gods
and the Mayans weren't the only ancient people who cherished chocolate. When Cortez conquered the Aztecs, he found that they also cultivated and worshipped the cocoa bean
But because of their awful taste, he couldn't figure out why. Until Cortez himself tried the local cocoa drink loaded with spices and sugar
This would technically set the creation of chocolate milk around 1516. Except it was missing one crucial ingredient milk To get to something closer to the chocolate milk we know and worship today we have to go back 20 years before Cortez to the islands of Jamaica According to one historian Jamaicans have been
brewing milk with chocolate shavings and cinnamon since at least 1494. However, the truth is a little
milky. Sir Hans Sloan, an Irish botanist, traveled to Jamaica in the 1700s. According to different
historians and Sloan himself, the local drink he encountered was just cocoa brewed in water
And it was gross. So it was he who swapped out water for milk and added sugar. The result was the
first chocolate milk. Sloan brought this concoction to England where he sold it as a health food
because at the very least it didn't give you an upset stomach, so why not? So people have been
drinking chocolate milk for centuries because it tastes good. Got it. But is it medicine
As it turns out, chocolate milk as a health food isn't that far-fetched
Give me a milk. Chocolate. Chocolate milk is low in fat and high in protein
It contains multiple vitamins, including vitamin A, which is good for your immune system and vision
And top athletes rely on chocolate milk after an intense workout because it's rich in electrolytes
which help reduce the stress on muscles and bones. However, chocolate milk can be ridiculously high in sugar
especially since it's almost impossible to stop at just one sip. Want another story featuring the Aztecs, a botanist, and a historical figure
I thought so. Check out the Unvanilla Story of Vanilla. Up next on Origins of Food