Early Mesoamerican civilizations, such as the Maya and the Aztecs, consumed chocolate primarily as a bitter, frothy beverage mixed with chili peppers. They valued cacao seeds so highly that they used them as currency, reserving the drink for sacred rituals and nobility.
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In 1828, Dutch chemist Coenraad van Houten patented a press that removed the fat from cacao beans, paving the way for the creation of the first solid chocolate bars.
Which choice provides the most effective transition from the preceding paragraph to the paragraph that follows?
- While chocolate was originally consumed as a bitter liquid in Mesoamerica, European innovations eventually transformed it into a sweet, solid confection.Answer
- BChocolate travels across the Atlantic Ocean, where sweet-toothed Europeans transformed it into a solid treat.
- CEuropeans began experimenting with the cacao beans, they added sugar and milk to suit their own tastes.
- DAncient civilizations valued cacao seeds so much that they used the bitter seeds as a form of currency.
Answer
While chocolate was originally consumed as a bitter liquid in Mesoamerica, European innovations eventually transformed it into a sweet, solid confection.
The correct option effectively transitions between the two paragraphs by introducing how European innovators changed chocolate from the Mesoamerican bitter drink described in the first paragraph to the sweet, solid treat described in the second paragraph.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Paragraph-Level Transitions
Estimated Time:1m 0s