nonfiction/History
The History of Chocolate Find out how chocolate became America’s favorite candy treat
Vocabulary delectable: delicious colonies: areas settled and controlled by people from another country, as Europeans settled in the Americas immigrants: people who move to a new country to live there flocked: gathered in a crowd; went in large numbers captivated: delighted, fascinated, charmed istockphoto.com
14 Scholastic Action | May 6, 2013 Scholastic, Inc. (M&Ms, kisses); the food passionates/Corbis (pod); Courtesy of Hershey Community Archives, Hershey PA. (wrapper, Hershey) LEXILE 1000 the seeds could be roasted, the seedscould beroasted, today’s Mexico discoveredthat 400 bitter littleseeds.Around he noticeda entered theexhibithall, from aroundtheworld. amazing newinventions fair includedanexhibitof big fairinChicago.The Hershey wasvisitinga delicious. a scent—sweetand hocolate History Chocolate be chocolate. future ofhisbusinesswould became convincedthatthe in America—butnowhe of thelargestcaramelfactory leading candymaker, creator chocolate candies. bitter cocoabeansintosweet transformed machinery fascinated, asthemen’s chocolate. company weremaking workers fromaGerman aroma. Inarearcorner, Inside a cacao fruit are Inside acacaofruitare The momentHershey In 1893,Milton It allstartedwith Hershey wasalreadya Hershey watched, b . c ., Indians living in ., Indianslivingin delectable delectable
from largejars. Recipesfor and othersmallsweets sold lemondrops, peppermints, “penny candies”— treats atthattimewere wasn’t consistentlyhigh. produce—and thequality expensive anddifficultto in theUnitedStateswas 1880s. Backthen,candy caramel companyinthe T colonies to Europe and the American to EuropeandtheAmerican chocolate beveragesspread spices. Overthecenturies, cocoa powderwithwaterand chocolate drinkbycombining Maya Indianshadcreateda ground, and eaten. ground, andeaten. reat T America’s mostpopular Milton Hersheybuilthis By theyear400 . rends ingredients, the result seeds are roasted, seeds are roasted, Left: Cacao pods. Left: mixed with other mixed other with When the cacao When cacao the is . . . chocolate! a ground, and . d . , www.scholastic.com/actionmag | www.scholastic.com/actionmag up aroundthecountry. like Hershey’s, hadsprung dozens oflargecompanies, kitchens—but by1893, makers workedintinyhome spun sugar. of almondpasteand specialized inconfections Milton Hershey America’s earliestcandy many ofthesesweetshad like jawbreakers. Germans like jawbreakers.Germans come fromEuropean for makinghardcandies, immigrants Italians wereknown . ay 6, 2013 6, May 15 have to formulate arecipe. have toformulate chocolate, Hersheywouldfirst were secrets.To sellmilk chocolate, buttheirrecipes were producingmilk add milk.Swisscompanies chocolate. create alighter, creamier delicious, buthewantedto satisfied. Hisproductswere 100 shapes. candies inmorethan manufacturing chocolate Soon thecompanywas two chocolatemakers. Pennsylvania. Thenhehired in he senttohisfactory making equipment,which Hershey purchasedchocolate- Made in the U.S.A. Made inthe The trick,heknew, wasto Still, Hersheywasn’t At the fair in Chicago, At thefairinChicago,
Hershey’s milkchocolate blend togethereasily. which ismostlyoil,don’t water, andcocoabutter, hours adayformonths. Hershey’s teamworked16 was extremelydifficult. mixing chocolatewithmilk Marvelous Milk Marvelous as a factory. chocolate popular amusementas well park Hershey, Pennsylvania, now has a Milk, whichis90percent Devising amethodfor factory in 1936 factory Women at Hershey’s years earlier. heavenly aromathathad theair—thesame pervaded the chocolatyscentthat its immensefactory, and They admireditstidystreets, Hershey, Pennsylvania. captivated captivated America’s No.1candy. milk chocolatebarswere their families. for hisemployeesand built atown,namedHershey, chocolate factory. Healso the world’s largest There, heestablished land inPennsylvania. purchased 1,200acresof his caramelbusinessand Hershey succeeded.Hesold resulted inoilymesses. experiments frequently Visitors By 1915,Hershey’s But eventually, in1900, flocked Milton Hershey —Lauren Tarshis to
Donald Nausbaum/Alamy (top); Courtesy of Hershey Community Archives, Hershey PA. (bottom); Scholastic, Inc. (M&Ms)