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Food of the Gods

This chapter deals with the history of cacao and cocoa, from its primary center of diversity in the Amazon basin to its cultivation in numerous countries across the humid lowland tropics. It covers the use of cocoa by pre-Colombian cultures from more than 5000 years ago to the Mayans and Aztecs, its “discovery” by Columbus in the late fifteenth century, and its popularity in Europe from the sixteenth century to the present. It follows the journey of this remarkable plant, from use of its beans as currency in Central America until the early to mid-nineteenth century, through to its place at the center of a multi-billion-dollar global chocolate industry.