1502 - Food And Drink

Food And Drink

Christopher Columbus is given a drink of what the natives call xocoatl (pronounced chocoatl) aboard ship in the Gulf of Honduras. It is made from beans that have, according to native mythology, been grown by the gods in the Garden of Life. Quetzalcoatl, god of the air, is believed to have come to earth for a time and taught mortals how to cultivate various crops, including the cacao tree. While awaiting Quetzalcoatl's return, the people in the Western Hemisphere's midriff have for centuries kept his memory alive with religious rites that involve cocoa. Mixed with honey, spices, and vanilla, xocoatl is served cold and frosty. Columbus thinks little of it; he brings some of the beans home with him, but only as a curiosity (see Cortéz, 1519).

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