I have actually tried the soft yellow pulp of the fruit (or pod as it is officially called) and it is not sweet nor in the least chocolate-y. There goes my dream of eating the cacao fruit and enjoying the real original chocolate taste. However, there is such a thing as a chocolate fruit, also known as the Black Sapote, which tasted almost like chocolate. In fact, if you want a healthier chocolate dessert choice, it is a great substitute for chocolate, but I digress.

Let's get back to the subject matter, chocolate facts, where it came from and how it evolved from a bitter bean into a rich aromatic ingredient for most desserts and even savory dishes.

Chocolate is actually a processed food and mostly man-made, except for its main ingredient. The main ingredient is, of course, cacao beans from the cacao tree which is native to South America. The cacao tree has been cultivated for at least 300 years and it seems that the Maya and Aztecs are the first ones to invent chocolate drinks. Except that the drinks are bitter-tasting concoctions because at that period of time, they still do not have the technology to develop the chocolate-y flavor from cacao beans.

Fast forward to current times and humans have long since abandon the 'bitter water' and came up with better ways to turn the horrid bitter tasting beans into sweet concoctions that we now know as chocolate.

Thanks to human intelligence, the cacao beans could be processed. to become cocoa which is the main ingredient of chocolate as we know it. Chocolate is mainly made of cocoa solids and cocoa fats with sugar as the sweetening agent.

Much to chocoholics' delight, dark chocolate has been known to have health benefits due to its chemical compounds. More reasons to grab that bar of chocolate!

However, over consumption of chocolates could be detrimental as it could lead to addiction, cravings and finally, additional inches if combined with a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet.

About Opalyn: She is a journalist, writer and blogger with an undying passion for all things chocolates.

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