Chocolate for drinking has a history far longer than chocolate for eating, despite the latter having become the norm. In premodern times, ancient Mesoamerican cultures imbibed the bitter cacao bean medicinally and in rituals.

After colonizing Central and South America, the Spaniards introduced cacao to Europe in the early 1500s. To make it more palatable, sweeteners were added. It was then diluted with dairy, eventually taking the shape of the ubiquitous chocolate bars we know today.

Cacao also made its way to the former Spanish colony of the Philippines, where its rainforests were ideal for cultivation because they fall within the Cacao Belt, a zone 20 degrees of longitude north and south of the equator.

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