During the 18th century, the consumption of chocolate was increasingly present in the material culture and in the diet of a large part of the population, and chocolate was found in Castilian households on a regular basis, but it did not reach everyone equally. According to the professions and income levels, chocolate could be found to a greater or lesser extent in homes, as we will see below.
As far as the presence of chocolate makers is concerned, a steady increase can be seen in 18th century Burgos households, which points to a growing consumption of this product with the tools to prepare it already in place in the homes. It is not just a question of the mere ingestion of chocolate, but of trends that affect the material culture of the eighteenth century in a contrasting way.
The use of chocolate pots and their introduction and enjoyment in the different social classes shows great contrasts, with the most privileged showing a clear fever for eating chocolate – reaching 100% of households – while the humblest families, with fewer possibilities of acquiring foods considered exotic, did so in a more sustained way. Clergymen were the most likely to incorporate these foods into their diet, rising from 60% of households between 1700 and 1730 to no less than 94.7% by the end of the century.

Collection: Statistics

Project: 2. Social and economic impact of technological revolutions in Europe., 3. Rural world and urban world in the formation of the European identity., 9. Travels and travelers: economic, social and cultural connections.

Chronology: XVIII

Scope: Secondary Education, Baccalaureate, University, Postgraduate

Link: http://www.tiemposmodernos.org/tm3/index.php/tm/article/view/300

Resource type: Statistics

Format: Table

Source: Sanz, F. J. (2014). "El consumo de chocolate en el Burgos del Setecientos", en Tiempos modernos, nº 24, p. 13.

Language: Spanish

Date: 2012

Owner: Roberto José Alcalde López (Modernalia)

Copyright: ©Tiempos Modernos ©Francisco José Alejandro Sanz de la Higuera

Abstract: Table showing the percentage of Burgos households that had chocolate makers among their possessions during the 18th century

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