Whether it is enjoyed as creamy milk chocolate truffles, baked in a devilishly dark chocolate cake, or even poured as hot cocoa, Americans, on average, consume almost 20 pounds (9 kilograms) of chocolate in a year. People have been enjoying chocolate for at least 4,000 years, starting with Mesoamericans, who brewed a drink from the seeds of cacao trees. In the 16th and 17th centuries, both the trees and the beverage spread across the world, and chocolate today is a trillion-dollar global industry.
