Chocolate is the food of love. Delicious, decedent and divine. Do you know that almost 60 million pounds of chocolate are purchased for Valentine's day? How much of that do you eat or give?

Costa Rica is one of the world’s leading producers of chocolate. Costa Rica is unique because the cacao tree, which is the tree that produces the bean that makes chocolate, grows in many regions of Costa Rica. During the 1970s a fungus took over 90% of the cacao trees. They are still recovering from that, but today they have thriving boutique chocolate producers

History of Chocolate

Chocolate comes from the cacao tree, indigenous to Central and South America. More than 4,000 years ago it was used in religious ceremonies and rituals among indigenous tribes. It was considered sacred and only allowed to be consumed by the shaman or heads of tribes. It was referred to as the "Food of the Gods". It was also used for healing things like diarrhea, treating burns and enhancing libido. Hmm, were they on to something? Is this why it is such a popular Valentine's Day gift?!

Mayan tribes used cacao pods as currency and with it you could buy anything from a turkey or avocado. It was even used during betrothal and marriage ceremonies. Mayans used cacao for a variety of uses including a frothy drink made from cacao, water, chilis, spices and cornmeal. Mayans passed on their knowledge of cacao through oral history and cave drawings. As a matter of fact, the process used today in making cacao is not that different from the Mayan.

In Aztec culture, cacao beans were more valuable than gold.

In Costa Rica, indigenous people used cacao beans as currency up until the 1930s. Even today, Bribri, the largest indigenous group in Costa Rica has an advanced bartering system.

Cacao Pods

Cacao pods grow in a variety of colors from purple to bright green to crimson. Cacao trees favor hot, rainy environments and grow best within 20° of the equator.

Inside each pod are cacao beans. An average pod contains 40-50 beans; it takes about 400 beans to make one pound of chocolate. Each bean is covered with a sweet lemonade-ish tasting mucus. You can eat this mucus! It is really good and does not taste like chocolate at all! It has a sweet tangy taste. You suck on it like candy, removing the pulpy mucus from the bean, and then, spit the bean out. The bean itself is very bitter and should not be eaten. Trust me on this! I ate the wrong part the first time. I misunderstood and thought you ate the bean! It is bitter, has a bark-like texture and gets stuck in your teeth; it nearly gagged me!

So, How Do You Get Chocolate?

The shell is removed to produce cacao nibs; from this chocolate liquid is created. From this comes two products - cacao (solid) and cacao butter. Cacao butter is used in a variety of personal care products such as face creams and lotions, as well as producing edible products like white chocolate.

Baking chocolate is a combination of the cacao solid and cacao butter; generally no added sugar. Most forms of chocolate today are sold with added ingredients such as vegetable oil, sugar and milk products.

The word chocolate actually comes from cacao (choco) and milk (latte). True chocolate, cacao, does not contain milk

This process is labor intensive. This is why pure, fair trade chocolate is expensive! Many varieties of chocolate on the market contain other 'filler' ingredients. Look for 70%+ cacao for good quality. Not all chocolate is alike and not all chocolate is plant-based. Make sure you read the label.

Consider purchasing chocolate from fair trade companies. This means that they: pay fair wages to their employees; do not employ child laborers; farm with sustainable and eco-friendly practices and are GMO free. Look for a fair trade label on the chocolate you purchase.

Most importantly, make sure you savor and enjoy every bite!

Unleash your inner veg!