{"Page URL":["https://www.appropedia.org/Cocoa"],"Page description":["The cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) is a native of the dense tropical Amazon forests where it flourishes in the semi-shade and high humidities, but wild varieties also occur from Mexico to Peru. The Mayas of Yucatan and the Aztecs of Mexico cultivated cocoa long before its introduction to Europe, and Montezuma, Emperor of the Aztecs, is stated to have consumed regularly a preparation called chocolate made by roasting and grinding the cocoa nibs, followed by mashing with water, maize, anatto, chilli and spice flavours. The richness of this mixture no doubt had some connection with the Aztec belief that the cocoa tree was of divine origin and later led the Swedish botanist, Linnaeus, to give the name Theobroma - Food of the Gods - to the genus including the cacao species. The Aztecs also considered the drink to have aphrodisiac properties."],"Page image":["File:Cocoa Spelled Out in Cocoa Powder.jpg"],"Page language":["en"],"Page license":["CC-BY-SA-3.0"],"Page title":["Cocoa"],"Page views":[279],"Page year":["Monday, 01-Jan-07 00:00:00 UTC"],"Modification date":["Friday, 28-Nov-25 13:16:26 UTC"]}