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Five chunks of chocolate history 五 “块” 有关巧克力的历史

文字稿

Did you know cocoa was once mistaken for animal poo?

你知道吗，可可豆曾被误认为是动物粪便？

Here's five chunks of chocolate history.

来看一看五 “块” 有关巧克力的历史。

1. Origins

起源

3,000 years ago, the ancient Maya and Aztec people of what is now Mexico in Central America believed it was a sacred drink from God and used cocoa beans as currency.

三千年前，曾经定居在现在中美洲墨西哥地区的古代玛雅人和阿兹特克人认为可可是上天赐予的一种神圣饮品，并将可可豆作为货币使用。

2. Global popularity

风靡全球

In the 1500s, Spanish explorers took the beans back to Europe, but it was an expensive luxury.

16 世纪，西班牙的探险家们将可可豆带回欧洲，但它在当时是一种昂贵的奢侈品。

The first batch to arrive in Britain was burnt, after the beans got mistaken for sheep poo.

第一批运抵英国的可可豆被烧毁了，因为被误认为是羊粪。

Later, chocolate bars were developed. It got cheaper, so more people could afford it.

后来，人们研发出了巧克力棒。巧克力价格便宜了，所以更多的人也能买得起了。

3. Health

对健康的好处

Some experts say dark chocolate is the best form to eat, as it's full of compounds called flavonoids. It's thought that small amounts can help your blood sugar, heart and brain.

一些专家认为，相对其它巧克力种类来说，黑巧克力的健康好处最多，因为它富含一种叫作类黄酮的化合物。人们认为吃少量的黑巧克力有助于控制血糖，促进心脏和大脑的健康。

White chocolate was accidentally invented when doctors were trying to get children to drink more milk.

白巧克力是个意外的发明，当时医生通过给牛奶里添加其它成份而试图让医院里的孩子们多喝牛奶。

4. Exploitation

劳动剥削

But chocolate has a difficult past, too. Cocoa plantations have historical links to slavery.

但巧克力也有一段艰难的过去。可可种植园与奴隶制有深远的历史联系。

5. Environment

环境影响

(Source: World Cocoa Foundation)
Some organisations say forests are being cut down to make way for cocoa plantations.

（信息来源：世界可可基金会）
一些相关组织表示，森林正在遭到砍伐，以为种植可可树腾出土地。

And an increasing climate crisis means less cocoa is being produced, so the price of your favourite treat could be going up.

同时，气候危机的加剧意味着可可豆产量减少，所以你爱吃的巧克力价格可能也因此上涨。