Chocolate

Is chocolate an aphrodisiac?

It's commonly stated that chocolate is an aphrodisiac. Especially by chocolatiers. But who are we to disagree?

Aficionados of chocolate are proud to describe its rich legacy - often drawing particular attention to the "fact" that the Aztec Emperor, Montezuma II, drank goblets of frothing cacahuatl beverage before making love to women in his harem - and consumed up to 50 goblets of this bitter, spicy chocolate drink per day. It was the drink of the privileged classes among the Aztecs - and the next thing you know, chocolate's reputation as an aphrodisiac is assured.

Add sugar, exotic legends and lavish packaging - and what do you have? A marketplace bulldozer. From the chocolate-houses of the mid 18th century [2] through to modern times it has been unstoppable. The word "chocolate" gets 1,500,000 searches per month on Google.

Chocolate is fantastic - but as far as its legend as an aphrodisiac is concerned, there's a serious fly in the ointment. One that's almost unknown.

What's not commonly discussed, nor even known about, is that cacao beans were not the only ingredient in Montezuma's aphrodisiac recipe...

Montezuma's secret aphrodisiac

Cacao beans are said by chocolate's historians to have been integrated into the diet of the Mesoamerican Olmecs by around 600 B.C. Cacao was seen as a divine gift: Incorporated into sacred texts; fought over by gods... and made into food and drink that was quite dissimilar to the chocolate bars consumed today. [3]

Highly nutritious, cacao was ground into paste and mixed with spices, water and chillies in order to make drinks that were bitter, not sweet like those of today. The drinks were poured and churned until they foamed - and the foam was revered by the Aztecs, painted on their artwork. [3]

Cacao was so prized that it was used as currency. And yes, Montezuma consumed 50 cups per day. [3]

But was the aphrodisiac in his drink something else?

Jan G. R. Elferink, in his Aphrodisiac Use in Pre-Columbian Aztec and Inca Cultures, [4] describes Montezuma's chocolate drink. He cites two conquistador writers as his main references: Bernardino de Sagahun, who gathered information directly from the Aztecs [5]; and Francisco Hernandez, who compiled an incredible list of around 1,500 medicinal plants - some of which were ascribed aphrodisiac qualities. [6]

Elferink lists the aphrodisiacs of Hernandez and de Sagahun in their native language: there are 23 of them - eleven of which appear to remain unidentified! He states that the Aztecs had many different chocolate beverages, but only one of them - Atextli - was ascribed aphrodisiac qualities.

It would therefore seem likely that it was not the cacahoatl that was doing it - but that the aphrodisiac ingredient in Montezuma's chocolate was... something else. [5]

One possible candidate to consider is Vanilla - which was included in the chocolate drinks consumed in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Vanilla itself is considered an aphrodisiac.

It looks, sadly, as though this Aztec secret may well be lost to the mists of time - leaving the conquistador with sugar-induced toothache... and without the real aphrodisiac goods.

The Aztec aphrodisiacs - forever a mystery?

One thing we know for sure: The rainforest is still being felled at an alarming rate. The world's greatest source of biodiversity - and potential medicine - is being further wiped out every day. Sadly, so much of the rainforest is being destroyed that the original aphrodisiac plant that conferred the incredible bedroom powers of Montezuma, may have been turned into a log... or eaten by unsuspecting cattle. There are probably great aphrodisiacs - as well as great cures for major illnesses - still undiscovered in the jungles of the world; but for every acre that is felled, Montezuma punishes us further by diminishing our hopes for finding them......

Cacao is legal, nutritious and listed in the AHPA's "Herbs of Commerce". [7]