The history of chocolate is as rich as its flavor and has a significant place in Costa Rica's history as well.
The cacao bean was a highly prized and sacred crop among the Chorotega and Bribri peoples of Costa Rica. The Chorotega used the bean as currency until the 1930s. This cacao bean was culturally and economically important to the indigenous peoples of Costa Rica. The women of the Bribri tribe made a special chocolate drink with the bean for rituals and celebrations.
Before coffee and bananas took over, cacao was once Costa Rica's main export. While other countries like Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela also grow and export cacao, Costa Rica is unique because cacao trees are grown in multiple regions of the country. The provinces of Guanacaste, Alajuela, Talamanca, Cartago, and Puntarenas have thriving cacao plantations. However, in the late 1970s, a fungus decimated over 80% of cacao trees in Costa Rica, devastating the cacao industry.
So, how exactly do these bitter cacao beans turn into delicious chocolate? There are a variety of tours you can take if you're interested in learning the entire chocolate making process, from seed to tree, to bean, to chocolate.
In summary, cacao beans are first roasted, then cracked, ground, crushed to form a paste, ground, and then tempered (heated, cooled, heated, cooled) several times. The process can take up to a week to achieve a higher quality chocolate.
