Chocolate is hot. People continually list chocolate as one of their favorite flavors for confectionery, bakery, and other products. For centuries, people have prized the commodity cocoa not only for its versatility as a food product but also as a tool for commerce. More than 2,000 years ago, the Mayans and Aztecs crushed cocoa beans to form an unsweetened liquid consumed during ceremonies; the Aztecs also used the cocoa beans as a form of currency. We have the Europeans to thank for sweetening l…