Cocoa was very significant to Native Americans and now days, it is highly valued by the modern consumer. The cocoa powder is made from the seeds of the plant that grows wild in the forests of the South Pacific of Costa Rica, and it is mainly used to produce chocolate.
The fruits can reach up to 30 cm long. They develop from the pale yellow and pink flowers growing directly from the trunk. Inside the fruit we find the seeds wrapped up in a white pulp.
The seeds are broken up, dried, fermented, roasted, and grounded.
The pulp resembles wet cotton and it is considered a valuable source of nutrition and gastronomy.
Cocoa contains about 700 important substances, including the theobromine which has a stimulating effect because increases the levels of serotonin and dopamine. The seed oil is used to treat skin conditions, wounds, rashes, burns, cracked lip, rheumatism, fatigue, malaria, and toothache.
It looks like the benefits of the cocoa and the chocolate are endless and the investigations are still in progress.
