Brillat-Savarin, a 19th-century gourmet, also recommended it as a stimulant.

ECONOMIST: History of chocolate

To help us understand this greater importance, Gopnik touches on deeper themes involving the regularities of dining, our fundamental relationships with food, and theories from gastronomic writers like Alexandre Grimod de La Reyniere and Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

FORBES: A History of Food: Adam Gopnik's "The Table Comes First"