ECOLOGY PHOTOGRAPHIC         

Imagine the surprise of our early American ancestors coming upon the tree Theobroma cacao for the first time. Perhaps while hunting and gathering dinner in the northern jungles of South America, they stumbled upon a strange sight. A large-leafed, avocado-like tree, growing in the understory of the rain forest, its trunk covered with a dozen or so large orange-yellow fruits. When pried off and opened, the pods contained 30 or so lima-bean shaped nuts encased in a delicious, sticky white pulp. It wasn't long before they discovered that the white pulp was easily fermented into a rough wine and that the beans separated from it more easily, tasting pretty good when roasted. An added bonus was the stimulating effect of the roasted beans.

Theobroma cacao, Conservatory of Flowers Found in the hottest parts of the humid lowlands, Theobroma cacao is unusual for its habit of flowering and fruiting from patches on its trunk. Botanists term this condition "cauliflory." The tree will produce many thousands of white to pinkish flowers sporadically over the course of the year and may have one or two exceptional flushes of blooms depending on the weather. The small delicate flowers are pollinated by small flying insects and swell to about 600 gm in weight over 5-6 months. Three distinct races of the species are known (and widely mixed): Criollo is fruity flavored, acidic, and lowest in tannins. Forestero, of Amazonian origin, is deeply tannic and the most prolific. Trinitario, from the Caribbean, has bright fruit and a modest tannin flavor profile.

Being strongly flavored, modestly stimulating and rich in digestible fats, it is not surprising that chocolate became a favored food of our southern neighbors. The earliest glyphs found in Mexico show God giving life, embodied in a cacao pod, to mankind.

By 1,000 BC, cacao was being traded throughout Central America and was being served with corn in a sort of porridge in tropical Mexico. By the time of the Spanish conquest, cacao was ground with corn, vanilla, chilies, along with seasonal additions, dried into a ball and then reconstituted into a frothy drink that was popular with the royal and religious nobility. The royal court of Spain took up the habit (although with sugar instead of chili). Its stature was so great that Lineas gave the plant its name in Latin, Theobroma, food of the Gods.