Cacao Beans, Whole, Raw

Origin: Peru

COMMON NAME
Standardized: chocolate
Other: cacao

Plant Family: Sterculiaceae

OVERVIEW
Cacao beans and nibs have a long and colorful history, beginning in Central and South America before 1500 BC. The entire cacao fruit was used medicinally by the Mayan, Olmec and Aztec civilizations. These early American peoples also enjoyed consuming chocolate as a beverage; each culture adding its own mix of spices and flavorings to the drink. After the Spanish conquest in the 1500’s, cacao made its way to Europe and began to spread worldwide
PARTS USED
Raw beans, either whole or broken into nibs.
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TYPICAL PREPARATIONS
Eaten raw-as is or broken into pieces and added to trail mix. Used abundantly in food and other consumables. Sometimes found in extract form.
SUMMARY
Cacao beans and nibs contain a number of beneficial constituents, but many of these constituents are destroyed or lessened when