Theobroma – Food of GodThe cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) is a native of the dense tropical forests of the Amazon where it grows in conditions of semi-shade, warmth, and high humidity.
The genus Theobroma consists of over twenty species (family Sterculiaceae), but only T. cacao is of commercial value. T. cacao is assumed to have spread naturally westward and northward to Guyana and Mexico, and later to the Caribbean islands. In so doing, two distinct subspecies developed.
The Mayas of the Yucatan and the Aztecs of Mexico cultivated cocoa long before its introduction to Europe, and Montezuma, emperor of the Aztecs, is stated to have regularly consumed a preparation called “chocolatl” made by roasting and grinding the cocoa nibs, which were then mashed and mixed with water maize, and spice. The richness of this mixture no doubt had some connection with the Aztec belief that the cocoa tree was a divine origin and later led the Swedish botanist Linnaeus to give the name “Theobroma” – Food of the Gods – to the genus, including the cacao species.
Theobroma – Food of God
