This book contains everything about chocolate except recipes - its rainforest origins, its cultural and religious significance in pre-Columbian America, and its journey from post-Conquest Mexico to Europe and back to America, where chocolate remains as popular as it became after the Spanish-born queen of France introduced it to the French court in 1615. We learn how cacao is grown and processed, how chocolate is used to flavor everything from Tootsie Rolls to hand-made works of art that melt in your mouth. The author provides a light-hearted history of chocolate's contribution to the world of medicine, as well as its role in the history of slavery and war and a fascinating analysis of the chocolate industry.