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Chocolate as A Gift: What Better Gift to Give Than One From the Gods?

As we gear up to the festive season and are wrapping up presents to share around, whether you celebrate Christmas, the Winter Solstice, Hanukkah or another winter tradition, we can all agree that the act of gift giving is a love language for a reason.

What is it about giving and receiving gifts that brings joy? Well, scientifically these acts promote dopamine and oxytocin to be released in our bodies, hormones that are known as the ‘feel-good’ and ‘love’ hormones, who doesn’t want those? Receiving a gift can also symbolise care and trust, and be a representation of that sentiment. Though, the pressure of picking the perfect gift can also be quite stressful…

We may be biased, but we believe that chocolate makes a pretty good gift – surely we aren’t the only ones? Let’s explore how chocolate has almost become synonymous with gifts.

A Gift From The Gods

The ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations of what we know today as Central America believed that the cacao bean was a gift from the Gods. Mayans even had a Deity who represented Cacao, as well as merchants and trade, called Ek Chuah. Cacao was also often used in rites of passage and as a gift to elites. Associations around the cacao and chocolate have evolved over centuries of use, though it seems to consistently have been seen as a gift.

How did this chocolatey gift make it to Europe?

In the 16th Century, a Spanish conquistador named Hernán Cortés brought the cacao drink to Europe where it was a huge hit. Sugar was added to sweeten it and appeal to the Western taste buds, which is more similar to the chocolate we know today. In Europe, chocolate was initially only accessible by the elite, as its import was new and expensive, giving it a luxurious status and thereby in association a great gift. Another reason chocolate makes an excellent gift is that it is liked almost universally, whether someone has a sweet tooth or enjoys richer or more bitter tastes, there tends to be a chocolate out there that fits all.

Spreading the Chocolate joy

While the cacao bean may have started in ritual and in the West evolved into a sweet treat for the upper classes, it is now more widely enjoyed. It has come to be a staple around Western celebrations like Christmas, Easter, Valentines and even Halloween. In fact, the mass-produced chocolate bar was invented here in Bristol – our home city – by J.S. Fry & Sons in the mid 19th Century. Large chocolate companies started advertising holiday chocolate, like Easter eggs (also invented by J.S. Fry & Sons) and later chocolate advent calendars, to encourage the association of chocolate around celebration which prevails today. Here at Radek’s we believe in the joy of chocolate and celebrate it on the daily, but we also love to appreciate the roots of the cacao bean and the beautiful countries that the bean is grown. Does chocolate have the same holiday links that it does here in the UK in let’s say Peru?

Chocolatada!

In Peru there is an annual celebration around Christmas time which is about giving back to the community. This is a modern-day tradition called Chocolatada, which translates to hot chocolate or even hot chocolate party! Organisations, charities, and the more affluent come together to gift toys, panetón and of course chocolate and hot chocolate to those in the community who are less fortunate. This tends to happen during the week leading up to Christmas, and is most prevalent in the weaving communities. Peru is close to our heart at Radek’s as it is the Chuncho Urushayua cacao bean from Peru that is the source of our ceremonial cacao and some of our other products in our Bean to Bar collection.