Chocolate: The Nature of Indulgence

by Ruth Lopez

From ancient Mayan civilization to the present day, a mouth-watering review of the entire history of chocolate, published to accompany a major exhibition, examines the relationship between this rainforest treasure and human civilization, detailing its role in slavery, war, and medicine.

144 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2002

Reviews

[SDAntoNia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent book which I was unfortunately not able to borrow for long enough to do more than skim most of it. From history of both the various conditions under which the beans were traded and used as money, to grown under shade and very sparsely before the Sanish conquest to the mass production and exploitation of both the beans and the finished product in various ways, Lopez details much about the production and consumption of chocolate that highlights the beauty and the beast in this now world-wide luxury food.

[Lindsey Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This large, glossy book doesn't have as much raw content as it appears to - the pages contain a lot of beautiful, full-color pictures - but it is full of fascinating facts. It strikes a great balance between presenting the big picture of chocolate's history and bringing it to life with anecdotes and personal stories. I would have loved to see a bit more detail about modern chocolate working, and of course (given the publication date), the last decade is entirely absent, but it still definitely worth the read.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well organized and packs the entire history of chocolate thus far into its pages. I also love its overall message to save the rain forest.