600 可可與文明

公元600年，隨着瑪雅人從中美洲向北方的遷徙，也把他們的文明傳播到了那裏。在尤卡坦半島，他們建立起早期的可可種植園。毫無疑問，瑪雅人已在幾個世紀前就對可可有所認識了。

600 Culture and Cocoa

A.D. 600 the Mayas undertook a massive migration which led this highly civilised people from Central America deep into the northern regions of South America. In Yucatan they established the earliest known cocoa plantations. There is no doubt, however, that the Mayas must have been familiar with cocoa several centuries earlier.

1000 可可與數字

很久以前，美洲中部的先民就用可可豆作爲支付方式。在公元1000年以前，可可豆就作爲計數的單位。400個可可豆相當於1Zontli，800個可可豆相當於1Xiquipilli。在墨西哥，裝有8000個可可豆的籃子的圖片就表示數字8000。

1000 Beans and Figures

From the very early days of cocoa the peoples of Central America used beans as a form of payment. The use of cocoa beans as units of calculation must also have become established before A.D. 1000. One Zontli equalled 400 cocoa beans, while 8000 beans equalled one Xiquipilli. In Mexican picture scripts a basket with 8000 beans represents the figure 8000.

1200 巧克力之爭

阿芷臺克人爲了鞏固他們在墨西哥的統治權，對瑪雅人採取了抑制策略。據史料記載，可可常作爲上貢給獲勝部落的供品。

1200 Chocolate War

By subjugating the Mayas, the Aztecs strengthened their supremacy in Mexico. Records dating from this period include details of deliveries of cocoa which were imposed as tributes on conquered tribes.

1502 哥倫布與可可豆

在1502年7月30日，哥倫布第四次美洲航行中，他在尼加拉瓜發現了可可豆。他成爲第一個發現可可豆的歐洲人。可可豆在當地流通，同時也可做成美味的飲品。但由於哥倫布仍在搜尋通往印度的航線，因此並未對可可產生任何興趣。

1502 Columbus and the Cocoa bean

On his fourth voyage to America, Columbus landed on 30th July 1502 in Nicaragua and was the first European to discover cocoa beans. These were used by the natives as currency and also in the preparation of a delightful drink. But Columbus, who was still searching for the sea route to India, was not interested in cocoa.

1513 用可可豆付款

1503年，Hernando作爲探險隊的一員，來到美洲。在他的報告中提到他居然用100個可可豆交換到了一個奴隸。

1513 Payment in Beans

Hernando de Oviedo y Valdez, who went to America in 1513 as a member of Pedrarias Avila's expedition, reports that he bought a slave for 100 cocoa beans.

1519 西班牙銀行

在1519年，Hernando Cortez佔領了墨西哥的部分地區。他並未被可可的味道吸引，倒是對可可豆能作爲支付手段這一作用十分感興趣。他立即建立了一個名爲“西班牙”的可可種植園，開始種植 “金錢”。

1519 A Spanish Bank

Hernando Cortez, who conquered part of Mexico in 1519, finds the taste of cocoa not particularly pleasant and is, therefore, much more interested in the value of cocoa as a means of payment. He immediately establishes in the name of Spain a cocoa plantation where, henceforth, 'money' will be cultivated.

1528 香甜的戰利品

1528年，Cortez第一次把可可和與可可相關的廚具帶回了歐洲。

1528 Sweet Plunder

In 1528, Cortez brings back to Europe the first cocoa and the utensils necessary for its preparation.

1609 第一本巧克力書

1609年，第一本完全介紹巧克力的書籍在墨西哥出版，它的名字叫做“Libro en el cual se trata del chocolate”。

1609 The First Chocolate Book

'Libro en el cual se trata del chocolate' is the title of a book which appear- ed in Mexico in 1609. It is the first book devoted entirely to the subject of chocolate.

1615 富有成效的婚姻

西班牙公主Anna與Louis XIII喜結連理，並把可可飲品帶入了法國宮廷。

1615 Fruitful Marriage

The Spanish princess Anna of Austria marries Louis XIII and intro- duces, amongst other Spanish customs, the drinking of chocolate at the French court.

1657 法國人在倫敦

1657年法國人在倫敦開了第一家巧克力商店。

1657 A Frenchman in London

London's first chocolate shop is opened by a Frenchman in 1657.

1662 巧克力的繁榮發展

在Pius V教皇喝道可可後，他十分不喜歡它的味道，於是宣稱“這種飲品是禁食的”。然而羅馬教會對這種美味飲品的態度卻越來越寬容。於是“禁食”這一問題變得棘手起來。在1662年，紅衣主教Brancaccio推翻了以前的說法，聲稱“可可並沒有打破戒律”。無疑，人們已經迫不及待地想要在復活節上縱飲可可了。

1662 A Solomon of Chocolate

After Pope Pius V had found cocoa so unpleasant that he declared, in 1569, that "this drink does not break the fast", the supreme church of Rome became more and more tolerant towards the exquisite beverage. The question of the fast took on a new urgency. In 1662, Cardinal Brancaccio hands down the judgment of Solomon:"Liquidum non fragit jejunum." In other words:"Liquids (in the form of chocolate) do not break the fast." Clearly, one had to wait until Easter to indulge in the eating of chocolate.

1670 水手的命運

水手Pedro Bravo憑着他的航海經驗，來到菲律賓，籌集資金，用餘生建立起了當時最大的可可種植園。

1670 The Fate of a Seaman

Helmsman Pedro Bravo do los Camerinos decides that he has had enough of Christian voyages of exploration and settles in the Philippines, where he spends the rest of his life planting cocoa, thus laying the foundations for one of the great plantations of that time.

1674 巧克力卷

早在1674年人們就可以在倫敦著名的咖啡館“At the Coffee Mill and Tobacco Roll”裏享受到美味的西班牙式的巧克力蛋糕和巧克力卷。

1674 Roll Call

"At the Coffee Mill and Tobacco Roll" was the name of a famous London coffee-house where, as early as 1674, one could enjoy chocolate in cakes and rolls "in the Spanish style".

1677 王令

1677年11月1日，巴西王室下達命令，要建造第一家可可種植園。這一命令對國際市場產生了深遠的影響。

1677 A Royal Decree

On the strength of a royal decree dated 1st November 1677, Brazil - later to achieve an important position in the world market - establishes in the State of Para' the first cocoa plantations.

1697 蘇黎世市長

蘇黎世市長Heinrich Escher，在拜訪布魯塞爾，並品嚐到可可的美味後，欣喜地把這種美味的新飲品帶了回去。

1697 Premier in Zurich

Heinrich Escher, the mayor of Zurich, visits Brussels where he drinks chocolate and returns to his home town with tidings of the new sweet drink.

1704 巧克力稅

17世紀末，巧克力在德國出現。普魯士的Frederick I採取制約進口商品的政策，在1704年對巧克力徵稅。任何人要想嚐到美味的巧克力，就不得不再多花額外的兩個銀幣。

1704 Chocolate Tax

Towards the end of the 17th century, chocolate makes its appearance in Germany. The policy of restricting the importation of foreign produce leads Frederick I of Prussia to impose a tax on chocolate in 1704. Anyone wishing to pay homage to its pleasures has to pay two thalers for a permit.

1711 巧克力移民

1711年，Charles VI皇帝把他的宮廷從馬德里遷到了維也納。隨着宮廷的遷移，巧克力也風靡了藍色多瑙河。

1711 Chocolate Migration

Emperor Charles VI transfers his court from Madrid to Vienna in 1711. With the court, chocolate moves in by via the blue Danube.

1720 巧克力師

18世紀20年代早期，歐洲人都知道只有在佛羅倫薩和威尼斯的咖啡館裏能喫到最美味的巧克力。這使意大利巧克力師成爲法國、德國、瑞士最歡迎的遊客。

1720 Chocolateers

As early as 1720, the coffee-houses of Florence and Venice are offering chocolate whose reputation reaches far beyond the country's borders. Italian chocolateers, well versed in the art of making chocolate, are, therefore, welcome visitors in France, Germany and Switzerland.

1747 抑商

1747年，Frederick採取了大規模的抑商運動，特別是禁止巧克力商販的活動。

1747 No Hawkers

In the year 1747, Frederick the Great forbids all manner of hawking, especially the hawking of chocolate.

1780 第一家工廠

1780年，第一家用機器製造巧克力的工廠在巴塞羅那建成。

1780 First Factory

About the year 1780, the first machine-made chocolate is produced in Barcelona.

1819 先驅

第一家瑞士巧克力工廠建立在Vevey附近。它的創建者Francois-Louis Cailler通過交易獲得了意大利的巧克力製造祕方。

1819 Pioneers

The first Swiss chocolate factory is set up in a former mill near Vevey. The founder, Francois-Louis Cailler, had learned the secrets of the choco- late-making trade in Italy.

1822 裝飾性植物

葡萄牙人Jose Ferreira Gomes把可可樹當作裝飾性植物引進了位於西非幾內亞海灣的普林西比島。

1822 Ornamental Plant

The Portuguese Jose Ferreira Gomes introduces the cocoa tree as an ornamental plant on the small island of Principe in the Gulf of Guinea off the west coast of Africa.

1875 牛奶巧克力

瑞士人Daniel Peter經過8年的試驗，在1875年向市場推出了第一塊牛奶巧克力。

1875 With Milk

After eight years of experiment, the Swiss Daniel Peter puts the first milk chocolate on the market in 1875.

1879 入口即融的甜蜜

1879年，Rodolphe Lindt在瑞士的伯爾尼生產出第一塊入口即融的巧克力。

1879 Melting Sweetness

Rodolphe Lindt of Berne produces chocolate which melts on the tongue for the first time in the year 1879.

1900 領導層的轉換

西班牙，從前的巧克力業領頭羊，現在已經落後於時代了。現在，從消費量來看，德國排在首位，緊隨其後的是美國、法國以及英國。在未來的歲月中，瑞士將成爲巧克力業的領頭羊。瑞士巧克力已經在國際上展現出它的獨特魅力。與烤腸、乾酪一樣，巧克力已成爲瑞士著名的特色食品。

1900 Changes in Leadership

Spain, formerly the classic land of chocolate, falls far behind. Germany takes the lead in consumption per head, followed by the United States, France and Great Britain. In just a decade or two another country will be playing first violin in the orchestra of the chocolate nations - Switzerland. The reputation of Swiss chocolate, bolstered by unbroken series of medals at international exhibitions, has not only fallen upon the ears of foreigners. It has also conquered Swiss palates. Like bratwurst, r?sti and fondue, chocolate has become a national dish.