THEOBROMA CACAO
FAMILY :: MALVACEAE
CHOCOLATE, COCOA: A tropical tree whose seeds are the source of commercial chocolate.
This tree is at its northern limit for commercial growth in Puerto Vallarta. It loves shade and warmth and does not like wind at all. Naturally, it grows under a jungle canopy with lots of moisture. It is a heavy feeder and requires frequent fertilizing and watering and it grows very quickly, up to about 2 meters a year. It fruits in the 4th or 5th year.
Medicinally, chocolate is considered a stimulant and an aphrodisiac. The stimulating properties of chocolate are documented and well known but the aphrodisiac qualities are in dispute by some because they do not realize that the component of chocolate responsible for the reported aphrodisiac effects, Phenethylamine (PEA), is rapidly destroyed in oral consumption by MAO, lleading curious experimenters with the obvious solution of ingesting MAOIs simultaneously. …Look it up….
A short film about a small, organic chocolate company in Grenada:
[youtube AbRA0NiQDxk :: Grenada Chocolate Company]
LINKS for more Information:
- The Chocolate Forum
- The Chocolate Museum
- The Field Museum Chocolate Exhibit
- Growing Chocolate
- Amano Chocolate
Nice set of videos about Cocoa production from the MARS Company:
[youtube FyXkacgbyXg]
[youtube brrQOVygSPc&rel=1]
[youtube a0zX_aF9Qn4&rel=1]
[youtube 4auCgYP7ZvQ&rel=1]
RELATED XPLANTA ARTICLES:
- Chocolate Aids Fatigue Syndrome
- Cradle of Chocolate?
- Chocolate Invented by Aztecs Trying to Make Beer
- Cocoa » Encyclopedia of Diderot & d’Alembert
RECOMMENDED READING: