摘要：大多数人都知道巧克力由可可制成，它起源于中南美洲。几个世纪以来，当地的居民把可可看作神的恩赐。但巧克力是怎样从神的食品变成了爱情食品的呢?
For the Love of Chocolate浓情巧克力
Most people know that chocolate is made from cocoa and that the origins of chocolate can be traced back to Central and South America. For centuries, the natives there regarded cocoa as a gift from the gods. But how did chocolate go from being the food of the gods to being the food of love?
大多数人都知道巧克力由可可制成，它起源于中南美洲。几个世纪以来，当地的居民把可可看作神的恩赐。但巧克力是怎样从神的食品变成了爱情食品的呢?
浓情巧克力
Around A.D. 600, the Mayas were the main aboriginal group in Central America. They established the first cocoa plantations and used the cocoa bean as the main ingredient in a dark, bitter drink that we would call “chocolate.” The Mayas believed that chocolate had mystical properties---but cocoa also had commercial value. In fact, cocoa beans were used as a form of currency that was worth its weight in gold!
公元600年左右，玛雅人是中美洲主要的土著居民。他们建立了第一座可可种植园，并用可可豆为主要原料，制成了一种又黑又苦的饮料，我们叫“巧克力”。玛雅人相信巧克力具有神秘的特性，也具有商业价值。实际上，可可豆曾经被当作一种与金子等值的货币形式!
Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortez was the first European explorer to realize cocoa's commercial possibilities. When he arrived in the New World in 1519, he soon established his own cocoa plantation. In 1529, Cortez returned to Spain and introduced chocolate---as a drink mixed with sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon---to European society.
西班牙征服者赫尔南多•科蒂斯是第一位了解可可的商业潜力的欧洲探险家。他1519年抵达新大陆，不久就建立了自己的可可种植园。1529年，赫尔南多•科蒂斯回到西班牙，他将巧克力——一种混合糖、香草及肉桂的饮料引入欧洲社会。
It caught on---especially with the nobility, who fancied hot chocolate as an aphrodisiac. As its popularity spread, people found new ways to make and use chocolate. These days, chocolate is enjoyed as both a tasty treat and a romantic indulgence. Whether it is in delectable desserts or crunchy candy, people the world over are still in love with chocolate.
巧克力倍受贵族们的亲睐，他们视热巧克力为一种春药。随着巧克力广为普及，人们发现了一些制造和使用巧克力的新方法。现在，巧克力被人们当作一种可口的美食和浪漫的享受。无论是在美味的甜点里，还是在酥脆的糖果中，世界各地的人们依旧对巧克力迷恋不已。
相关阅读：巧克力碎块的英文怎么说
巧克力碎块的英文：
chocolate crumbs
chocolate是什么意思：
n. 巧克力;巧克力色;巧克力糖;巧克力饮料
adj. 巧克力口味的;巧克力色的
Have another chocolate.
再吃一块巧克力糖。
I bought a chocolate carpet.
我买了一块巧克力色的地毯。
Break up a chocolate bar.
把一块长条巧克力弄碎。
Chocolate always disagrees with me.
巧克力糖不合我的胃口。
The sundae was topped with chocolate and a wafer.
这个圣代冰淇淋顶部覆盖着巧克力和威化饼干。
crumbs是什么意思：
n. 面包屑;碎屑
v. 弄碎
He crumbed the egg.
他把鸡蛋捏碎了。
The maid brushed the crumbs from the table.
女佣拂去桌上的面包屑。
a bit; a little; a crumb; a fraction; a grain; an inch
一点儿
She crumbed the bread before feeding it to the birds.
她把面包弄碎，然后喂给鸟吃。
At last Andrew gave them a crumb of information.
最后，安德鲁向他们透露了一点信息。