From the drink of the gods to a 12-year-old thief...

The homeland of chocolate is South America; specifically Mexico...

Because this magnificent sweet is made from the fruit of cocoa trees native to South America. 

It has a history spanning exactly four thousand years...

The Olmecs, one of the oldest civilizations in Latin America, were the first to transform the cocoa plant into chocolate. They used chocolate only in ceremonies as a “happiness-inducing medicine.”

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Centuries later, the Mayans began to view chocolate as the “drink of the gods.” They would brew roasted cocoa with chili peppers, water, and cornmeal, then pour this mixture from one container to another to obtain a thick, frothy drink called “xocolatl,” which means “bitter water.”

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From the fifteenth century onwards, the Aztecs discovered the erotic power of chocolate. 

They believed that those who drank this beverage experienced increased sexual potency and fought better. 

In fact...

They began using cocoa beans as currency.

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Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes discovered chocolate during an expedition to America. 

When he returned to Spain, he introduced cocoa beans to the Spaniards. The Spaniards began sweetening it with sugar and honey to cut the bitter taste of the chocolate.

Monks also loved this drink; they drank it heartily during religious rituals.

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It took almost a century for chocolate to reach neighboring France and then the rest of Europe.

In those years, handmade chocolate became extremely popular among the European aristocracy.

The royal family and the upper classes consumed chocolate to live healthily.

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In 1828, the “chocolate press” was invented...

This was a revolution!

Thus, cocoa butter was pressed from roasted cocoa beans, and a fine powder was obtained.

That powder was later mixed with sweet liquids and poured into a mold, where it was solidified to become “edible chocolate.”

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With this revolution, chocolate became cheaper and was sold at a price everyone could afford.

For the first time in 1847, a British company called J.S. Fry & Sons began the factory production of edible solid chocolate.

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The year is 2023... The 100th anniversary of the Republic of Turkey...

Chocolate is everywhere now...

A 12-year-old child living in Hakkari looked at the chocolates filling the shelves while wandering through one of the three-letter supermarket chains.

He had no money, but he was craving chocolate terribly.

He glanced around; no one was there.

He gave in to his temptation and put two small packages of his favorites into his pocket.

He wandered through the other aisles of the market for a while longer. 

Just as he was about to step out onto the street... A market employee came and grabbed his arm.

The child panicked greatly at that moment. He seemed to resist. Another market employee came over to them. They grabbed his arms and took him to the storage section of the shop. They searched him and placed the two chocolate packages they found on the table as if they had found a machine gun, accusing the child of theft.

They locked the door behind him and left.

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What happened next... is unknown.

It is unclear whether they released the child or took him to the police station.

The only thing known is that these images, captured by the market's closed-circuit camera system, leaked onto social media...

Following this, the Hakkari Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation.

Market officials and employees are accused of “depriving a child of their liberty.”

Oh; let me not forget; Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç also intervened and said, “It should be known that we are very sensitive to any negative action taken against our children, who are the guarantee of our future. As the Ministry of Justice, we are following the matter closely.”

It’s like black comedy!

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In my opinion, the culprit is neither that child nor the market employees...

The real culprits are the architects of the poverty that drives a child to steal chocolate even in this day and age...

In other words, those who govern the country!

I am very curious; will the Minister of Justice's heart be enough to initiate the necessary proceedings against them as well?

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Chocolate...

It was the “Drink of the Gods”...

Today's “incompetent gods,” on the other hand, prefer dragon fruit smoothies...

For the children of poor families, all that remains is stealing chocolate!