When the plant was used to make chocolate beverages, it was found in Latin America.
Latin America and the Caribbean have been consuming chocolate for thousands of years.
We have the best places to satisfy your sweet tooth in honor of World Chocolate Day.
One of the world's most beloved sweets is made from the fruit of the Cacao tree. Above and below the equator, the mighty cacao tree grows. Chocolate tours are popular in Latin America and the Caribbean due to the spiritual importance of cacao.
It's easy to find the best Caribbean islands.
For over 400 years, the Indigenous BriBri people of Costa Rica have been cultivating cacao. You can learn about the history and benefits of the superfood at a cooking class.
The farm is located in a garden. The farm has been crafting award-winning chocolate for three decades.
In the hands-on three-hour Cacao experience, you will be introduced to Bri Bri traditions and folklore. Visitors will learn how to grow, roast, and make chocolate from beginning to end. This chocolate tour is different from others in Latin America in that every aspect of the chocolate-making process is done by hand.
There are national parks in Costa Rica.
Explore the planet's most surprising adventures with our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox.
Those with restrictions can relax. There is a chocolate that is vegan and free of wheat. White chocolate with turmeric is one of the new flavors the chocolate makers experiment with.
Sometimes chocolate makers place crystals in the chocolate mixture in order to harness the healing powers of the stones.
The classes can be booked on the website before they start. There are prices starting at $32USD.
Tropical igloos and tree houses are among Costa Rica's most unique places to stay.
Some people think that the first people to eat cacao were the ancient people of the Americas. Chocolate was a part of the culture of the early Maya people.
The high-quality cacao was reserved for the priests of the Maya tribe. During sacred ceremonies, chocolate was used. You can learn about the history of chocolate at the Copal Tree Lodge.
The tour begins with a stroll through the organic cacao trees and a demonstration on how to make high-quality chocolate. Coffee, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice are some of the flavors that can be found around the cacao plantation.
If you are prepared to taste test, you will be able to open a Cacao Pod and eat the fresh Fruit. It doesn't taste like chocolate at all.
State-of-the-art equipment and granite surfaces allow you to make your own bar of chocolate from scratch.
The process combines traditional chocolate-making methods with machinery, like using a volcanic metate to temper the batches. During the experience, you will be able to sample the chocolate to see how different steps affect the Cacao. The chocolate tour is delicious.
There is a class at Copal Tree. Once they arrive on the property, guests can call the concierge to book in advance. The class can be attended by non-guests, but they need to book in advance.
I traveled to the rainforest of Belize to learn more about the plants.
It is the best place in Dominica to buy locally-made chocolate. You can ask for a tour when you arrive and you will be shown the process of chocolate making.
The estate has been making chocolate for a decade. Pointe Baptiste makes about 500 bars a week and doesn't do much exporting so this roadside operation may be your only chance to try it.
The decadent chocolate bars are processed in a snug basement warehouse where machine stations are set up to grind and refine the dried cocoa beans.
You don't have to pay for the tour but you will want to purchase a few bars of their unique flavors which mostly use local ingredients.
The hiking passport will allow you to go off the beaten path.
The article was first published in January of 2020.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
