For centuries the world has had a love affair with Theobroma cacao L. more commonly known as cacao trees – that beautiful flora that brings us chocolate. The history of chocolate through the ages is as rich and varied as the food itself.

Native to Mesoamerica, cacao was a staple of the natives as early as 1200 B.C.E – long before Columbus made his famous voyage of 1492. The magic bean was revered as a gift from the gods, used as medicine and currency alike and was certainly considered a health food.

While it’s not known what ancient South or Central American peoples figured out how to process cacao beans, we do know that the Mayans were the first to have a true love affair with cacao. During the Mayan’s Classic age cacao became a major part of their daily lives; so much so that centuries later archeologists found entombed offerings of cacao beans and tools used for processing them.

By 900 B.C.E the Toltecs had moved into Mayan territory and also believed that cacao was a divine gift from god, in this case, Quetzalcoatl. The Aztecs followed suit and cacao became their prized form of currency, so much so that scam artists would fill empty cacao beans full of dirt and pass them off as fresh beans.

Cacao made its European debut after the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs although it was not until the 17th Century that it really became popular, thanks to the wedding at Versailles between Spanish Princess Maria Theresa and King Louis XIV. It is said that the Princess brought her precious cacao cache along with a cadre of servants just to prepare and serve hot cocoa at the wedding.

Like many things it was the Industrial Revolution that brought chocolate to the world as we know it today – in the form of bars, bon-bons and confections. The first revolutionary change came at the hands of Dutch chemist Conrad Van Houten who was searching for a better way to separate cocao powder from the cacao butter. This patented process became known as “Dutching chocolate” which makes it much easier to work with for many baked goods and beverages. His specialized hydraulic press, simply known today as a Cocoa Press, easily separates the cacao while allowing the powder to retain all of the nutrients from the bean.

Between Van Houten’s press and the advent of machines which could harvest and process the cacao pods far faster than before – along with no regulations about what could or could not be added to food – chocolate began going global thanks to “candy bars” made from various mixtures of cacao, rice, wheat and other mysterious fillers, including at one time brick dust – which in turn launched various methods for detecting “pure” chocolates.

By the 20th Century chocolate and cacao products had become a ubiquitous treat, so popular that it went to war with us, dominated our candy shelves and became a household staple. Additionally, by this time the word cacao had become Anglicized into cocoa, which is what is more commonly referred to these days, although with the emergence of artisan chocolates and a wider distribution of cacao nibs the word cacao is coming back into fashion and the two words are often considered interchangeable.

With its rich history and mythology cacao, not surprisingly, could not escape scientific perusal. What was discovered is that this amazing bean, long worshiped, traded and fought for, really was something of a miracle food and certainly a healthful form of sustenance, just as the Mesoamerican tribes believed.

Cacao beans are actually the seed of the fruit of the cacao tree (that’s right mom and dad, a fruit). The beans grow inside of large pods which are harvested, split open and then allowed to ferment. This fermentation process allows the natural bitterness of the beans to mellow and become more palatable. Once the fermentation process is complete the beans are roasted and then hulled out to expose the cacao nibs, which in turn are ground into “chocolate liquor” a strange looking paste that is the first step in creating chocolate products as we know them today.

The liquor is then placed in a Cocoa Press and separated into cocoa butter and cocoa solids. To produce cocoa powder the solids are pressed again – which removes about 75% of the solids. What’s left over is often referred to as a press cake which is then dried and ground into powder.

Cacao beans are roughly 54 % fat, 31 % carbohydrate, 16 % fiber, 11 % protein, 3 % polyphenols and less than 1 % minerals. Natural cacao powder retains a high concentration of its nutrients and is a concentrated source of polyphenols, an important source of antioxidants which modern medicine is continuing to find may be crucial to our optimal health.

Dutched cacao powders do have fewer flavonols however it’s commonly debated that the concentration of flavonols in cacao powder are high enough that even heavily Dutched chocolate retains its status on the list of foods high in antioxidants.

Keep in mind, this does not mean that eating copious amounts of chocolate is a good idea, moderation in all things after all. However, there are continuing studies on the benefits of eating pure (high cacao content) chocolate to help with everything from mood to cardiovascular disease.
While it is not a cure all many of us can relate to the emotionally comforting properties of chocolate whether it’s in the form of our favorite candy, baked into desserts or mixed with spices for a warming and restorative beverage.

In addition to being a tasty sweet treat chocolate can also be a major player on the savory front. One of the key ingredients for Molè sauce, which is a term used for a variety of sauces throughout Mexico, but most specifically for sauces from the Puebla and Oaxaca regions. These rich sauces are made from a combination of dried chilies, fresh onions and tomatoes, spices and cocoa powder or bittersweet chocolate. Try adding some cocoa powder, a cocoa powder – spice blends or freshly grated cacao nib to your next batch of red chili con carne.

Unsweetened cocoa powders and cacao nibs additionally make a lovely condiment for salads, vegetables, such as beets, squash and roasted yams. Cocoa nibs mixed with other savory spices can add incredible flavor to your favorite meat dishes as well as making an amazing addition to multigrain breads.

Explore the endless possibilities of this “gift from the gods” right in your own kitchen. Add a little cocoa, dark chocolate or some cacao nib to your favorite savory dishes or try a few of our family favorites like our version of a traditional mole sauce featuring You and Improved’s own Cocoa Magic Cocoa and Spice blends* located in our recipe section.