1. All the Flavors of the Past...and Present: 17 Cacao Facts
Tags:​cacao, chocolate, facts, Aztec, Mayan, Cortez, Dutch, Switzerland, Nestle, Hershey, Mars,
bean, farm, Cadbury, gods, Hitchcock
Chocolate has a rich history of savoriness and darkness, blended together to bring you
the succulent tastes you enjoy today. Here are 17 facts you didn’t know about this
confectioner’s delight.
1. Chocolate originates from the seeds of cacao fruit. Most people already know that
chocolate comes from these “cacao beans”, but did you know they look a bit like
this;
(image from ​http://www.candyusa.com/wp­content/uploads/2015/08/pods_open.jpg​)
Yes, this is what your beloved chocolate looks like as a little baby cacao seed.
2. The term “​cacao​” generally refers to the plant and its beans before processing.
“Chocolate” is what we all know and love, the refined products created from those
decadent beans pictured above. And finally, “cocoa” is the proper term for any
powdered form of chocolate. Unless you happen to be British, in which case

2. powdered chocolate is “cacao”.
3. Milk chocolate was invented in 1875 by Daniel Peter from Switzerland. He spent
eight long years experimenting with concept of adding milk to chocolate. Once he
finally created the velvety goodness we consume today, Peter sold the creation to
his neighbor, Henri ​Nestle​.
(image from ​http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/images/g/OGwAAOxy63FS8ppr/s­l225.jpg​)
4. The Latin name for the cacao plant means “food of the gods”, ​Theobroma cacao​.
5. The Mayans and Aztecs were not the first Mesoamerican ​civilization​ to utilize the
cacao seed. The ​Olmec​ lived primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, and much of their
culture was lost to time. However they did influence cultures such as the Aztecs
and Mayans. The Olmec have the privilege of being known as one of the oldest
cultures known to have mentioned cacao, calling it ​kakawa​ in their native
language, Mixe­Zoquean.​ ​ This was three to four ​millennia​ ago!
6. The Mayans worshiped a ​god​ of cacao, Ek Chuah. ​Chocolate​, usually in the form
of a bitter drink, was only served to rulers, warriors, priests, and nobles at sacred
ceremonies.

3.
(image from ​http://www.revuemag.com/wp­content/uploads/2012/07/04­f01­cacao_god.jpg​)
7. Aztecs traded with Mayans for the coveted bean, eventually using the cacao seeds
as currency. By the year ​1500​, a turkey hen was worth 100 cacao beans.
8. Once the infamous Cortez of Spain arrived in search of gold and silver, his men
discovered the cacao bean. After adding cane sugar for sweetness, first Spain,
then France, and finally the rest of Europe decided they couldn’t get enough of
this delicacy and established colonial plantations. Diseases depleted the
Mesoamerican slave ​pool​ and so African slaves were imported to continue the
work. Death by chocolate was never sweet.

4.
(image from ​https://s­media­cache­ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ab/0a/28/ab0a2888d4d7cd7f12122471f8fb391b.jpg​)
9. Xocolatl was a bitter drink enjoyed primarily by the Aztecs. Dyed red, bitter and
spicy, the drink was thought to increase libido, perhaps originating the modern
association of chocolates and love. Click on this ​link​ to try it for yourself.
10. In 1828 a Dutch ​chemist​ named ​Coenraad Johannes van Houten​ invented the
cacao press. It squeezed all of the fatty cacao butter out of the cacao seeds,
leaving behind a dry cake that was then crushed into cocoa powder to be mixed
with other ingredients and liquids to make solidified and edible chocolate.

5.
(image from ​http://www.dechocoladefabriek.nl/oud/verpakkingen/afbeeldingen/machine2.jpg​)
11. The late 1800’s and early 1900’s generated a chocolate boom that is still being
felt today, led by family ​companies​ such as Cadbury, Hershey and Mars.
12. American’s alone eat over 11 pounds of ​chocolate​ per person per year.
13. Currently 40­50 million people depend on ​cacao​ farming for their livelihood,
producing 3.8 million tons of cacao each year.

6. 14. Chocolate productions reached a record 7.1 million ​tons​ in 2015!
(image from ​http://cooperativehomecare.com/wp­content/uploads/2016/03/coco.jpg​)
15. Many modern cacao farms, particularly along the Ivory Coast, use slave labor, or
pay wages so low for work in extreme conditions that it amounts to ​slavery​.

7.
(image from
http://www.confectionerynews.com/var/plain_site/storage/images/publications/food­beverage­nutrition/confectionery
news.com/manufacturers/children­and­chocolate­the­sweet­industry­s­bitter­side/8733383­1­eng­GB/Children­and­cho
colate­The­sweet­industry­s­bitter­side.jpg​)
16. Nestle first introduced chocolate ​chips​ in 1939.
17. In the ​movie​ “Psycho”, Alfred Hitchcock used chocolate syrup as blood.
The dark past and present of chocolate is tempered by sweetness, but still lends a bitter
aftertaste. The Chocolate Clinic does what it can to make the future of cacao sweet again.
So can you, just by taking a few seconds to ask where and how your favorite chocolate is
born.