It's hard to imagine it now, but there was a time when chocolate didn't come in bars, and was rarely eaten at all.
In 1674, a Frenchman opened the first chocolate house in London. Like today's coffee shops, chocolate houses were a place for the people of the Regency to hang out and talk. Those establishments that were primarily frequented by men were often gambling dens as well. We may find it hard to imagine those hard-drinking men gambling away the night with a cup of hot cocoa at hand, but chocolate in those days was considered a stimulating adult drink.
Chocolate pots, much like teapots, but with a place for a candle to keep the chocolate warm, were filled with hot milk and ground chocolate, and the resulting drink was whipped to a froth. Writing from the time suggests that people had different tastes in their hot chocolate -- sweet or bitter, strong or milky -- just as modern coffee shops offer lots of variations on coffee.
Chocolate was also used for baking in the Regency era. Cakes and rolls made with chocolate were the province of the rich, of course, and eating chocolate was not yet known, so the average Regency family would think of chocolate as something to drink.
As a beverage, chocolate was one of the most popular flavors of the day, for men and women both. The ladies in the picture above are probably on their way to get some.
