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Chocolate

Chocolate originated in Mexico with the Aztec Indians and came to Spain through the Spanish conquistadors. Christopher Columbus encountered cocoa beans for the first time in 1502. The Aztecs used cocoa beans to make a bitter, foamy beverage called chocolate, which was drunk during religious celebrations. The Spaniards weren't fond of chocolate, but that didn't stop them from shipping the beans back home. Charles I received a shipment in 1525. Spain held a monopoly over the cocoa trade for about a hundred years. Although cocoa arrived in Italy in the late 16th century, it didn't really become a trend outside of Spain until 1615, when Louis XIII married Anne of Austria, the daughter of King Philip III of Spain. Chocolate was served at their wedding in Paris, and soon after that, it became a favourite drink for French aristocrats. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, chocolate was the most popular drink in Spain. Richard Ford said that chocolate "is for the Spanish what tea is for the English and coffee for the French." Today, Spain is a major producer of chocolate. 

Where were cocoa beans initially used? 

When was chocolate drunk?

How many years did the Spanish monopoly of chocolate last? 

After what event did chocolate become a favourite drink for French aristocrats?

How did Richard Ford describe chocolate?

What country is the main producer of chocolate nowadays?

At the beginning of its history chocolate was a drink

Chocolate originated in

Spaniards liked chocolate very much

Cocoa came to Italy in the late 15th century for the first time

Chocolate became a favourite drink for French aristocrats after it was served at the wedding in France

Nowadays chocolate is very important for Spanish people