Today is World Religion Day so in honor of that I'm going to finally review a book that was recommended to me years ago by a professor who studies Mesoamerican history and culture. The book is by Meredith L. Dreiss and Sharon Edgar Greenhill and it is entitled Chocolate Pathway to the Gods. The version I received as a gift many years ago was published in 2008 by The University of Arizona Press.
The book has 6 chapters that cover the role of chocolate in Mesoamerican societies. We learn about deities associated with and consuming chocolate. Human rituals around and beliefs about chocolate are next addressed. We see how chocolate became aligned with power and wealth but also how that translated into harm. Then we see and read about how chocolate was eaten or drank and in what types of vessels it was made and consumed. Chocolate as a medical or health aid is the topic of chapter five. Finally we we learn facts about cacao trees, cacao farming, and issues of making sure we can have chocolate in the future. That last chapter is the most dated of the book but it is still valuable.
Nearly every page of this book has color photos that illustrate what the text says and demonstrates much of the evidence. This makes it good for the serious chocolate lover or even a teacher trying to show others the history of chocolate or Mesoamerican cultures.
On the back cover page of the book was a dvr that contains a movie that I could play on my computer even 11 years later. While it does contain some of the same information in the book it is not a video of the book. This would be a great short film to show in a classroom or at an organizational meeting if you were introducing your audience to chocolate. It is well crafted and fun to watch and it takes less than 10 minutes.
I agree with that professor I met years ago. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in the complex history of chocolate in the societies that discovered cacao trees, figured out how to eat from them, and saw their creations as heaven sent. While it is not as detailed as other books on the subject that I have read, it is a great starting text that is grounded in solid research.
The book has 6 chapters that cover the role of chocolate in Mesoamerican societies. We learn about deities associated with and consuming chocolate. Human rituals around and beliefs about chocolate are next addressed. We see how chocolate became aligned with power and wealth but also how that translated into harm. Then we see and read about how chocolate was eaten or drank and in what types of vessels it was made and consumed. Chocolate as a medical or health aid is the topic of chapter five. Finally we we learn facts about cacao trees, cacao farming, and issues of making sure we can have chocolate in the future. That last chapter is the most dated of the book but it is still valuable.
Nearly every page of this book has color photos that illustrate what the text says and demonstrates much of the evidence. This makes it good for the serious chocolate lover or even a teacher trying to show others the history of chocolate or Mesoamerican cultures.
I agree with that professor I met years ago. This is an excellent book for anyone interested in the complex history of chocolate in the societies that discovered cacao trees, figured out how to eat from them, and saw their creations as heaven sent. While it is not as detailed as other books on the subject that I have read, it is a great starting text that is grounded in solid research.
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