Earliest Use of Chocolate in U.S.A.

Ohhhhh, I could sure use some chocolate right now. i'm tired and hungry (supper is barely started on the stove at the moment). But earlier today I splurged and had a Hershey's special edition chocolate cherry kiss at the office so no more chocolate for me! I've been proud of myself, I hardly ever eat chocolate any more, it's helped with the weight loss, so when I do have an occasional piece of chocolate it explodes in my mouth like Mount Vesuvius! I want that chocolate because I am depressed at the moment. I have an appointment with a plumber on Saturday. There is a leak coming somewhere from the upstairs bathroom that can no longer be ignored and I just know it's going to cost a fortune, besides the first hour at $100. Sigh. CHA-CHING.... I wonder if the Native Americans drank/ate chocolate to make themselves feel better??? New Mexico canyon dwellers were earliest in what is now US to use chocolate By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID , Associated Press Last update: February 2, 2009 - 4:01 PM WASHINGTON - Chocolate for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day? Folks may be surprised to know how far back chocolate goes — perhaps 1,000 years in what is now the United States. Evidence of chocolate was been found in Pueblo Bonito in Chaco Canyon, N.M., the earliest indication of the tasty substance north of Mexico, Patricia L. Crown of the University of New Mexico and W. Jeffrey Hurst of the Hershey Center for Health and Nutrition report in Tuesday's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Drinking chocolate was associated with a variety of rituals in ancient Central America, including weddings, but Crown said she is not sure of its exact uses in her area. The discovery, dated to between A.D. 1000 and 1125, indicates trade was under way between the Chaco Canyon residents and cacao growers in Central America. But the nearest cacao plantation would have been more than 1,000 miles away, so importing the material would have been a major undertaking, she said. Chocolate was probably something not consumed often, she said in a telephone interview. It also probably tasted bitter compared with what is available today. Central Americans didn't sweeten their chocolate and sometimes mixed in hot peppers. Crown said honey might have been available in new Mexico but she didn't know if it was used. The research was prompted by a discussion about cylinder jars, when Crown was told the Maya used the jars for drinking chocolate. The new research was supported by the National Science Foundation, National Geographic Society, University of New Mexico and the Hershey Technical Center. ___ On the Net: PNAS: http://www.pnas.org