In early modern Europe, chocolate was a luxurious and expensive drink sourced from the cacao tree, recently discovered in the “New World.” Consumers enjoyed this ostentatious beverage at breakfast, while socializing with friends, and as a costly medicinal cure. Political, religious, and medical leaders placed the drink at the center of religious debates, geographical exploration, and medical observation. Learn about the surprising history of chocolate through a lecture and tasting of modern and historically-sourced chocolate samples.