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Article: Growing chocolate!(drinking chocolate)
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- February 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Carus Publishing Co. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink [cocoa] permits a man to walk for a whole day without food.
--MONTEZUMA, AZTEC EMPEROR (1490-1520)
Ever wonder where chocolate comes from? Well, money doesn't grow on trees, but chocolate does! The tree's scientific name, Theobroma cacao, means "food of the gods." The famous botanist Carolus Linnaeus picked this name not only to reflect the heavenly taste of chocolate, but also to reflect its history.
A Taste for Chocolate
The Olmecs (1500-400 B.C.) were almost certainly the first humans to consume chocolate, originally in the form of a drink. ...