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　　Five hundred years ago, when Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez and his soldiers first arrived in Mexico, the Aztec king Montezuma mistook them for gods. To show his respect for his honored guests, Montezuma served them“chocolate,”a bitter drink that was the precursor of modern chocolate.

　　Chocolate and the cocoa beans used to make it were highly prized by the Aztecs. In fact, the Spanish were astonished to discover that the Aztec treasure rooms contained not the gold and jewels they had expected, but bags upon bags of cocoa beans instead!

　　However much the Aztecs valued chocolate, its bitter taste was not to the liking of the Europeans. After bringing bags of cocoa beans back to Spain, the Spanish modified the recipe to improve the taste. With the addition of sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, Spanish cooks finally hit upon the right combination of flavors. The ingredients were ground into powder, which, when mixed with hot water, produced a mouth-watering drink that quickly won fame.