Chocolate is one of the most popular food items around the world. While most of us today consume it in the form of candy, desserts, and sugary drinks, chocolate has taken many forms as it traveled from its ancient Mesoamerican roots to the 21st century.

In the eight lectures of The History of Chocolate, you’ll join author and food historian Sam Bilton to trace the long and winding journey of a food that is so much more than just a sweet treat. You’ll venture back to the origins of chocolate in Maya culture and follow its progress as European settlers brought their New World discovery home to the continent. From there, you’ll see how chocolate was gradually transformed, democratized, and commodified to become the staple confectionary we know today. Along the way, you’ll also consider why we love chocolate as much as we do—and what science has to say about its effects on both mind and body.

Through chocolate’s long and ever-evolving story, you’ll witness the rise and fall of empires, the evolution of global trade, the expansion of industrialization, and more transformations that have shaped the world as we know it. From indigenous currency to European luxury to multibillion-dollar global business, chocolate has a history that offers tantalizing insights into human nature—both the bitter and the sweet.