For many people, especially women and children, chocolate is an irresistible delicacy. Its rich and rich taste is unforgettable.

In fact, chocolate has a long history. Its raw material comes from cocoa beans, the fruit of the cocoa tree in the tropical rainforests of Central America. More than 1,300 years ago, the Mayan Indians used cocoa beans to make a greasy chocolate called chocolate.

Beverage, this is because cocoa beans contain nearly 50% oil.

People began to add flour and other substances to reduce its greasiness.

In the early 16th century, the Spanish explorer Cortes came to Mexico and found that the local king drank a drink mixed with cocoa beans and spices. The taste was very delicious. Cortes was very curious and made it in 1528.

The drink recipe and seeds were brought back to Spain.

From then on, chocolate quickly became popular in Europe. It has super high calories, and cocoa also has a calming and concentration effect. At first, people regarded it as a medicine, but later people added milk and sugar to it.

Chocolate gradually became the flavor it is today. In the 17th century, it was very popular among the upper class in Europe.

In fact, as early as 1706, chocolate also crossed the ocean and came to China, where it appeared in front of Emperor Kangxi, the supreme ruler of the Qing Dynasty.

Anyone who is proficient in the history of the Qing Dynasty should know that Kangxi was very interested in Western technology. There was once a French missionary who cured Kangxi's malaria with the Western medicine Cinchona cream. This made Kangxi

He was more interested in the West. There were a large number of missionaries and consultants in the Qing court. At the same time, Kangxi also began to build the Old Summer Palace with Western characteristics.

Kangxi was also very interested in the chocolate that the missionaries often talked about. Finally, in May 1706, on his way to Rehe to escape the summer heat, Emperor Kangxi asked the director of Wuying Palace, He Shiheng, to tell the Italian priests who had just arrived in China.

When asking for medicine, it is written in the imperial edict: "If there is Chuokola, please ask for it."

The "Chocola" here is the transliteration of chocolate.

Kangxi's simple order made the missionaries very excited and happy.

Why is this?

It turns out that although the priests at that time were highly valued by Kangxi, their most basic purpose of coming to China to preach was strictly prohibited and controlled.

Therefore, many people hope to make Kangxi happier by introducing Western technology and food, thereby relaxing restrictions on missionary work.

Therefore, He Shiheng, who specializes in preserving Western medicine, and the missionaries immediately started careful preparations. The missionaries brought 150 chocolate bars, and He Shiheng selected 50 of them, and made a set of silverware according to the eating methods of the European upper class.

, and boxwood bamboo skewers specially designed for stirring chocolate.

In addition, the priest also wrote a 1,000-word instruction manual: Chocola prescription, which is said to be hot, sweet and bitter in taste, is produced in America, Luzon and other places, and is made up of eight different configurations.

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?What was Kangxi’s reaction?

However, according to records, after Kangxi read the 1,000-word instruction manual, he simply said 3 words: Got it.

?It turned out that Emperor Kangxi thought that this drink was extremely bitter after tasting it. What is more worth mentioning is that chocolate was not regarded as food, but was given to Kangxi as a medicine. What Kangxi was really interested in was its function.

, after looking at the results, the instructions read: "The elderly, those with stomach deficiency, and those with diarrhea should drink it to help the stomach and digest food, which is of great benefit."

?This greatly disappointed the emperor. There are countless medicines in China to relieve diarrhea and warm the stomach. Why use chocolate when it is so troublesome to eat?

In addition, the chocolate given to Kangxi may indeed taste a little worse. Kangxi's first contact with chocolate also ended in an imperfect ending.