TheChocolateLifeLIVE – Where Does Chocolate Come From?

By TheChocolateWire | 2 years ago | 5 min read

One of the places chocolate originates – the Fazenda Bonança in Bahia, Brazil. Photo by Clay Gordon.

Episode 83 of #TheChocolateLifeLIVE streams Friday, Jan 20th from 12:~13:00 EST.

Where does chocolate come from?

Like the answers to many questions in cocoa and chocolate, the answer to this question is, “It depends.” It depends on what you mean by chocolate, which may seem odd, but what chocolate is/was has changed greatly over the past 5000 or more years. It also depends on where you go to look for the answer.

In this episode of TheChocolateLifeLIVE we’ll be exploring the history of where chocolate comes from and, at the same, time, take a look at how reliable the Internet is as a source of information.

#1 Neeva AI

“Chocolate comes from the cacao tree, scientifically known as Theobroma cacao. It originated in Central and South America and is believed to have started growing 100 million years ago in the lower slopes of the Andes Mountains.”

#2 Wikipedia

“Chocolate is a food product made from roasted and ground cacao pods, that is available as a liquid, solid or paste, on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods.”

The emoji below tells you everything you need to know about what I think of this description.

🤦

There is soooo much wrong in this entry it would be best to start from scratch rather than edit.

#s 3 and 4 – ChatGPT

What happens when we give AI a chance?

Version 1

Chocolate is a food made from cocoa beans, which are the dried and fermented seeds of the cacao tree, a tropical evergreen tree native to Central and South America. The cacao tree produces cocoa pods, which contain the cocoa beans. The cocoa beans are harvested from the pods and then processed to produce cocoa butter and cocoa solids. These cocoa products are used to make a wide variety of chocolate products, such as chocolate bars, chocolate chips, and chocolate candies.

To make chocolate, cocoa solids and cocoa butter are ground into a fine paste, called chocolate liquor. Sugar, milk, and other ingredients, such as vanilla, are often added to the chocolate liquor to make different types of chocolate. The chocolate is then poured into molds and allowed to cool and solidify.

Chocolate has a long history, with evidence of its use dating back to ancient civilizations in Mesoamerica. The Mayans and Aztecs believed that chocolate had medicinal and spiritual properties, and they used it as a form of currency. Today, chocolate is enjoyed all over the world as a sweet treat. Most of the world's cocoa is grown in West Africa, but it is also grown in other tropical regions, including South America and Southeast Asia.

Version 2

Chocolate is a sweet, typically brown, food preparation of Theobroma cacao seeds, roasted and ground, and often flavored with vanilla. It is made in the form of a liquid, paste, or in a block, or used as a flavoring ingredient in other foods.

Chocolate is made by roasting and grinding the seeds of the cacao tree, which are found in pods on the tree. The seeds, or cocoa beans, are then processed to create cocoa butter and cocoa solids. To make chocolate, cocoa butter and cocoa solids are combined with sugar and milk (for milk chocolate) and other ingredients, such as vanilla and emulsifiers, and then mixed and refined to create a smooth mixture. The mixture is then poured into molds to create the final chocolate product.

Chocolate is native to Central and South America, and it has a long history dating back to ancient civilizations in those regions. The cacao tree is thought to have originated in the Amazon rainforest, and it was prized by the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations for its unique flavor and medicinal properties. Today, the majority of the world's cocoa beans are grown in West Africa, although they are also grown in other tropical regions around the world.