Sweet, Sweet Chocolate Milk: A Tasty Treat With a Lot of History
When an Irish botanist decided that a drinkable chocolate and water combination had a stale, unappealing bitter taste, he thought of adding something to the sweet cacao powder that would turn this flop of a “recipe” into a tasty treat- milk and sugar! Thus, chocolate milk was popularized across Sir Hans Sloane’s native England upon his return from a trip to Jamaica, bringing joy to consumers for centuries to come.
Sir Hans Sloane earned his M.D. from Orange-Nassau, and, at the age of 27, he became a doctor for the Duke of Albemarle in the Caribbean island of Jamaica. When he was introduced to the locals’ chocolate and water drink, he felt displeased and nauseous, and only thought of how this could be turned into something better. And, while Sir Hans Sloane did not invent chocolate milk, he does deserve recognition for bringing it to Europe.
Hans Sloane also believed that chocolate milk was healthy, thus he promoted it.
If chocolate milk is chocolate milk, does this indicate that whole milk is “vanilla milk”? Not at all! Vanilla milk has its own flavor and identity, and appears off-white in color. Much like chocolate milk, flavor is added to vanilla milk and vanilla milk has a sweeter taste than regular whole milk, due to the added sugar inside of it. Some forms of vanilla flavor in vanilla include: cane sugar, or vanilla extract, with maple syrup or sugar as a sweetener.
It must be remembered that Sloane did not exactly invent chocolate milk, nor does it come from brown cows as a long-running myth once suggested. In fact, Europeans have known about chocolate since Christopher Columbus came to the Americas centuries earlier. Today, the origin of the first ever chocolate milk remains unknown. As we dive deeper into the history of modern chocolate milk, it is fair to give the Jamaicans credit, since they knew of the resources and formula to blend the drink: cacao shavings, milk, and cinnamon. It is also believed that they had been brewing the drink since as far back as 1494. Upon returning to Europe in 1689, Sir Hans Sloan shared the new idea with many Europeans, and his mixture began to appear in medicine. As the drink became popular, demand increased across nations, making a name for one of the most beloved drinks known to man.
Flash forward to present day, and chocolate milk is still a favorite drink of many, especially children in lunchrooms. In many lunchrooms across the country, chocolate milk is viewed as a drink to help kids oppose soda, inspiring them to make healthier choices when it comes to nutrition and school lunches. Usually in many grocery stores, it is available as the next option after Whole Milk. It is a great alternative to those who just cannot stand the taste of whole milk, and, want a nutritious drink to start the day or enjoy as dessert. All thanks to Sir Hans Sloane, chocolate milk remains a favorite drink for centuries.