The history of chocolate - Deanna Pucciarelli

Istorija čokolade - Dijana Pučareli (Deanna Pucciarelli)

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

If you can't imagine life without chocolate,

Ako ne možete da zamislite život bez čokolade,

you're lucky you weren't born before the 16th century.

imate sreće što niste rođeni pre XVI veka.

Until then, chocolate only existed in Mesoamerica

Do tada, čokolada je jedino postojala u Srednjoj Americi

in a form quite different from what we know.

u prilično razlčitom obliku od onog koji nam je danas poznat.

As far back as 1900 BCE,

Još daleke 1900 p. n. e.

the people of that region had learned to prepare the beans

ljudi iz te regije su naučili kako da pripremaju zrnevlje

of the native cacao tree.

autohtonog drveta kakao.

The earliest records tell us the beans were ground

Najraniji zapisi nam saopštavaju da su mleli zrnevlje

and mixed with cornmeal and chili peppers

i mešali ga sa kukuruznom kašom i ljutim paprikama

to create a drink -

kako bi napravili piće -

not a relaxing cup of hot cocoa,

nije se radilo o opuštajućem toplom kakau,

but a bitter, invigorating concoction frothing with foam.

već gorkom, okrepljujućem bućkurišu koji se izdašno penio.

And if you thought we make a big deal about chocolate today,

A ako smatrate da danas dižemo veliku prašinu oko čokolade,

the Mesoamericans had us beat.

Srednjeamerikanci su nas debelo potukli.

They believed that cacao was a heavenly food

Verovali su da je kakao nebeska hrana

gifted to humans by a feathered serpent god,

koju je ljudima podario perjani zmijski kralj,

known to the Maya as Kukulkan

Majama poznat kao Kukulkan,

and to the Aztecs as Quetzalcoatl.

a Astecima kao Kecalkoatl.

Aztecs used cacao beans as currency

Asteci su koristili zrna kakaa kao monetu

and drank chocolate at royal feasts,

i pili su čokoladu na kraljevskim gozbama,

gave it to soldiers as a reward for success in battle,

davali su je vojnicima kao nagradu za uspeh u bici

and used it in rituals.

i koristili su je u ritualima.

The first transatlantic chocolate encounter occurred in 1519

Prvi transatlanski susret sa čokoladom se desio 1519.

when Hernán Cortés visited the court of Moctezuma

kada je Ernan Kortes posetio Montezumin dvorac

at Tenochtitlan.

u Tenočtitlanu.

As recorded by Cortés's lieutenant,

Prema zabeleškama Kortesovog poručnika,

the king had 50 jugs of the drink brought out and poured into golden cups.

kralj je naredio da se donese 50 vrčeva napitka i da se prespu u zlatne pehare.

When the colonists returned with shipments of the strange new bean,

Kada su se kolonijalisti vratili sa isporukom čudnog novog zrnevlja,

missionaries' salacious accounts of native customs

pohotljivi izveštaji misionara o običajima kod urođenika

gave it a reputation as an aphrodisiac.

su mu podarili reputaciju afrodizijaka.

At first, its bitter taste made it suitable as a medicine for ailments,

U početku je zbog gorkog ukusa bio podesan kao lek za oboljenja,

like upset stomachs,

poput uznemirenog stomaka,

but sweetening it with honey, sugar, or vanilla

ali zasladivši je medom, šećerom ili vanilom

quickly made chocolate a popular delicacy in the Spanish court.

ubrzo je čokolada postala poslastica na španskom dvoru.

And soon, no aristocratic home was complete without dedicated chocolate ware.

A uskoro aristokratski dom nije bio potpun bez naročite posude za čokoladu.

The fashionable drink was difficult and time consuming to produce

Moderno piće je bilo komplikovano i iziskivalo je vreme za proizvodnju

on a large scale.

u velikim razmerama.

That involved using plantations and imported slave labor

Proizvodnja je uključivala plantaže i uvezene robove kao radnike

in the Caribbean and on islands off the coast of Africa.

u Karibima i na ostrvima blizu afričke obale.

The world of chocolate would change forever in 1828

Svet čokolade će zauvek da se promeni 1828.

with the introduction of the cocoa press by Coenraad van Houten of Amsterdam.

kada je Konrad van Hoten iz Amsterdama predstavio presu za kakao.

Van Houten's invention could separate the cocoa's natural fat, or cocoa butter.

Van Hotenov izum je mogao da razdvoji kakaovu prirodnu mast, iliti kakao maslac.

This left a powder that could be mixed into a drinkable solution

Ostatak ovoga je bio prah koji je mogao da se meša u pitak rastvor

or recombined with the cocoa butter

ili je mogao ponovo da se meša sa kakao maslacem

to create the solid chocolate we know today.

kako bi se napravila čvrsta čokolada kakva nam je danas poznata.

Not long after, a Swiss chocolatier named Daniel Peter

Nedugo potom, švajcarski čokolater po imenu Danijel Peter

added powdered milk to the mix,

je dodao mleko u prahu u smesu,

thus inventing milk chocolate.

izumevši time mlečnu čokoladu.

By the 20th century, chocolate was no longer an elite luxury

Do XX veka, čokolada više nije bila elitni luksuz,

but had become a treat for the public.

već je postala poslastica za javnost.

Meeting the massive demand required more cultivation of cocoa,

Izlaženje u susret ogromnoj potražnji značilo je veći uzgoj kakaa,

which can only grow near the equator.

koji jedino može da raste u blizini Ekvatora.

Now, instead of African slaves being shipped

Sad, umesto da izvoze afričke robove

to South American cocoa plantations,

do južnoameričkih plantaža,

cocoa production itself would shift to West Africa

sama proizvodnja kakaa je preseljena u Zapadnu Afriku

with Cote d'Ivoire providing two-fifths of the world's cocoa as of 2015.

gde Obala Slonovače obezbeđuje dve petine svetskog kakaa od 2015.

Yet along with the growth of the industry,

Ipak, uz rast industrije,

there have been horrific abuses of human rights.

došlo je do užasnih kršenja ljudskih prava.

Many of the plantations throughout West Africa,

Mnoge plantaže širom Zapadne Afrike,

which supply Western companies,

koje snabdevaju zapadne firme,

use slave and child labor,

koriste robove i dečju radnu snagu,

with an estimation of more than 2 million children affected.

procenjuje se da je više od dva miliona dece pogođeno.

This is a complex problem that persists

Ovaj složeni problem koji opstaje

despite efforts from major chocolate companies to partner with African nations

uprkos naporima velikih firmi čokolade da u partnerstvu s afričkim nacijama

to reduce child and indentured labor practices.

umanje dečje i najamničke radne prakse.

Today, chocolate has established itself in the rituals of our modern culture.

Danas čokolada ima status u ritualima savremene kulture.

Due to its colonial association with native cultures,

Zbog njenih kolonijalnih veza sa urođeničkim kulturama,

combined with the power of advertising,

uz snagu marketinga,

chocolate retains an aura of something sensual,

čokolada je zadržala auru nečeg senzualnog,

decadent,

dekadentnog

and forbidden.

i zabranjenog.

Yet knowing more about its fascinating and often cruel history,

Ipak, upućenost u njenu opčinjavajuću i često okrutnu istoriju,

as well as its production today,

kao i u njenu trenutnu proizvodnju,

tells us where these associations originate

govori nam odakle ove asocijacije potiču

and what they hide.

i šta skrivaju.

So as you unwrap your next bar of chocolate,

Pa, kad razmotate sledeću tablu čokolade,

take a moment to consider that not everything about chocolate is sweet.

izdvojite trenutak da razmotrite da nije sve u vezi sa čokoladom slatko.