Der Kakao: Ein europäisches Getränk? Luxus, Rausch und Wirksamkeit in Tommaso Strozzis De mentis potu sive de cocolatis opificio (1689)

The Neo-Latin didactic poem De mentis potu sive de cocolatis opificio, written by the Neapolitan Jesuit Tommaso Strozzi and published in Naples in 1689, deals with the production, consumption, and therapeutic effects of chocolate. The poem combines technical instructions, historical and cultural digressions, and contemporary medical debates with classicizing aetiologies. Strozzi proves that cocoa, despite its Mexican origin, is in fact a genuinely European produce that is deeply rooted in European cultural traditions. Mexico and its inhabitants may seem like a paradise-like counter-world to a morally depraved Europe. Yet, at the same time, the Europeans are shown to be superior to the indigenous peoples. Only they possess the know-how to adequately refine cocoa and make it into a luxury good. The ubiquitous references to classical and NeoLatin traditions in De cocolatis opificio are more than just a learned game. They are striking examples of how, in the early modern period, classical models were adopted and adapted to the purpose of legitimizing Europe’s perceived historical supe-riority over the newly discovered territories.