When Cortez and the conquestadors landed in Mexico in 1519, they found that the Aztecs had for centuries been using the ground roasted seeds of the cacao tree to make an extremely unusual and pleasant drink which they called “chocolatl”. In due course, the tree was studied and classified as Theobroma cacao, L., which in Greek means “food for the Gods”. The beverage was first introduced into Spain from where its popularity spread through Europe. Today, it is universally appreciated and cacao is cultivated in most equatorial countries. The main commercial crops of cocoa beans come from Ghana, Brazil, Nigeria, Dominica, Ecuador and Venezuela with much smaller quantities from the West Indies.
To avoid confusion over nomenclature it is well to note the following descriptions:
Cacao
–refers to the plant Theobroma cacao, L.
Cocoa
–refers to the beans and the product ready for making the beverage; to its use as a flavoring
material; or to its use for making the chocolate beverage.Chocolate
–refers to the product based on ground roasted cocoa beans , normally in a solid form; although powdered “ drinking chocolate” is available.
