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   Chocolate: A European Sweet | 1600—1750 Obtaining Cacao— EUROPEANS GREW it on PLANTATIONS  Many countries established cacao-growing colonies.The English, Dutch, and French also colonized cacao-growing lands near the equator. The British planted trees in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). The Dutch established plantations in Venezuela, Java, and Sumatra. And the French focused on the West Indies. Soon, these countries were shipping cacao back home to keep Europe well stocked with chocolate. Plantations struggled with labor issues. Many of the products coming out of the Americas at this time were labor-intensive crops. Colonial landowners needed a large workforce to meet European demand for sugar as well as indigo (dye), tobacco, cotton, and cacao itself.  After so many Mesoamericans died from European diseases, growers needed a new labor force. European colonial landowners turned to Africa to supply them with the necessary labor. For over two centuries, a combination of millions of wage laborers and enslaved peoples were used to create a large workforce.Continue to Making Chocolate |
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