What were the cacao beans used for?
The very, very bitter beans were used medicinally. Then it became a beverage that was used only by adult males and then by enemies of the Aztecs who were about to be sacrificed. It was prohibited to women and children until at least after 1519 because it was considered to be too stimulating it was like having three to four espressos. How did cacao go from a beverage to a bar? Common thinking is that in about 1833 or so, inventions allowed people to extract cocoa butter from the beans. And that led to the development of confections. Where did the word “cacao” come from? We think it comes from the Olmec peoples of Mexico and Central America. One line of current thinking is that it was transferred from the Olmec to the Mayan-speaking people. But there’s also a controversial view that it rose independently with the Aztecs. How did cacao become the chocolate we know today? In Switzerland, there are a lot of cows. And then there were people grinding chocolate. And ergo, someone mixes milk wi
