What are cocoa beans good for?

Although cocoa beans are historically native to South America, the story of their cultivation begins in Central America. Archaeological finds of vessels with traces of theobromine suggest the use of this plant presumably from 1100 BC. e. But not cocoa beans were used, but the sugar-containing pulp of the fruit from which the alcoholic beverage was made (the fruits of the cocoa tree, shaped like a large cucumber or small melon, contain from 20 to 60 large seeds – cocoa beans arranged in several rows and surrounded by whitish flesh). Continue reading →