Celebrate Spring with Chocolate

Bonjour,

The trees turn green, and the fruits ripen. These transformations are a gift for the eyes as well as the taste buds. They are also the signal that spring is here.

Nature offers us wonderful gifts and today we will learn more about the cocoa pod. A noble fruit whose secrets are little known.

The pods are the fruits of the cocoa tree called Theobroma Cacao. They grow in the tropical regions of Central America and in a belt 20 degrees above and below the equator. They contain the cocoa beans which will ultimately be transformed into our favorite chocolate.

Cocoa beans have been known since ancient times for their precious benefits. In fact, as early as 600 before the common era, the Aztecs considered cocoa beans as a sacred gift from God. They used them to prepare a therapeutic & bitter drink reserved for few privileged people. Cocoa beans were also used as currency.

So much so that when the Spanish arrived in Aztec lands (now Mexico) in the 16th century, they immediately understood the value of this fruit. Hence the name "brown gold" after the discovery of 2,500,000 beans of the Aztec emperor.

 Soon you will discover the benefits of cocoa beans for our health.