Chocolate: or, An Indian Drinke

A mid‑seventeenth‑century tract celebrates chocolate as a miracle cure, translating a Spanish physician’s enthusiasm for the dark drink into lively English prose. It lists a bewildering array of ailments—lung coughs, gut “plagues,” fevers, even infertility—and claims that the cocoa‑rich concoction can ease digestion, brighten complexion and even prompt conception. The author backs the remedy with testimonials from courtly patrons, positioning chocolate as both a culinary delight and a universal medicine praised by doctors across Europe.

The work also doubles as a witty social commentary, addressing the English gentry with satirical verses that lampoon contemporary medical jargon and rival treatments. Listeners will hear the colorful language of a time when trade routes brought exotic goods to royal tables, and when a simple cup could be heralded as a panacea. The piece offers a vivid snapshot of early modern health beliefs, the allure of foreign luxuries, and the playful rhetoric that surrounded the rise of chocolate in Western culture.