The history of chocolate began over three and a half thousand years ago. At that time, people in the Americans such as the Mayans and the Aztecs grew the beans and made chocolate drinks from them. Around 1500, Christopher Columbus took cocoa beans to Europe, and chocolate drinks soon became popular in Spain. However, it wasn’t until nearly 100 years later that people started drinking chocolate in every parts of Europe. In 1657, a Frenchman opened the first chocolate house in London. The drink was expensive, so only rich people could enjoy it. Chocolate continued to become more popular, but it wasn’t until 1847 that the first modern chocolate bar was made. Now chocolate is available everywhere, and we also eat it in foods like cakes, biscuits and sweets.