Cacao tree (Theobroma cacao)

• Cacao (cocoa) was exported to Europe in 1585 but the first chocolate bar was not made until 1848.
• The purine alkaloids theobromine and caffeine are responsible for the stimulant effect of cocoa and chocolate and contribute to bitter cocoa flavor.
• After 2-3 years the cacao tree produces many cauliflorous flowers and fruits develop after about 5 years.
• Theobroma cacao (Mayan: kakaw, Nahuatl: Cacahuatl), is a small (15–26 ft tall) evergreen tree, native to the deep tropical region of the Americas.
• The scientific name Theobroma means "food of the gods".
• Cacao seeds are used to make cocoa powder and chocolate.
• Each seed contains a significant amount of fat (40–50 percent) as cocoa butter. Their most noted active constituent is theobromine, a compound similar to caffeine.
• The cacao tree requires a humid climate with regular rainfall and good soil. It is an understory tree, growing best with some overhead shade.
• The Maya believed that the kakaw (cacao) was discovered by the gods in a mountain that also contained other delectable foods to be used by the Maya.
• In a similar creation story, the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl discovered cacao (cacahuatl: "'bitter water"'), in a mountain filled with other plant foods.
• The cacao beverage as ritual were used only by men, as it was believed to be toxic for women and children.
• Cacao beans constituted a major currency system in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations.
• In some areas, such as Yucatán, cacao beans were still used in place of small coins as late as the 1840s.
• 5 or 6 cacao beans can keep a person going for a couple of hours.
• Cacao is cultivated on roughly 17,000,000 acres worldwide.
• Cocoa is also number one in the world in antioxidants of any major fruit or nut. It contains ten times the antioxidant level of blueberries, twenty times what red wine has, thirty times what green tea has. 

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