THE MIRACLE OF CACAO

 

CACAO is the new coffee… let that sink in …  

The history of the cacao bean, or cocoa bean, dates back thousands of years to the Upper Amazon, where the Theobroma cacao tree was first domesticated around 5,450–5,300 B.P.

From there, the Maya, Toltec, and Aztec people cultivated the cacao tree in Mesoamerica as early as 3,800–3,000 B.P. 

These cultures used the cacao bean to make a ceremonial drink, as a form of currency, and in other ways: 

• Beverage 

  The Mayans made a ritual drink by grinding cocoa beans with vanilla beans and other spices. Other texts and images show that people mixed roasted cacao paste with water, cornmeal, and chili peppers to create a drink that was poured between pots until it foamed. 
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  Currency 

  The Mayans used cocoa beans as currency between their own civilizations and others they traded with. 

• Spiritual significance 

  The Mayans considered chocolate to be the "food of the gods" and the cacao tree sacred. They even buried dignitaries with bowls of chocolate and other items they thought would be useful in the afterlife. 

  
  

  The Codex Fejervary-Meyer depicts the cacao tree as part of the universe, associated with the color red, the Land of the Dead, and the hot lands where cacao originated. 

After the European conquest of the Americas in the 1500s, cacao cultivation increased in areas like Mesoamerica, Trinidad, Venezuela, and Ecuador. 

The Spanish kept chocolate a secret for a long time, but it eventually reached France and then the rest of Europe. 

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Industrial Revolution made chocolate production more efficient and affordable, and it became a treat for the masses. 

Today, most cacao is grown in West Africa, with Ghana producing some of the highest quality beans

Source: AI

WIKIPEDIA