❤️💰 Fruit of Money and Love

🫘 Theobroma cacao, commonly known as the Chocolate Tree or Cacao Tree, is very exciting plant and a superfood as we mentioned earlier.

💥 Theobroma means "food of the gods" in Greek. "Theo" means god, and "broma" means food.

💥 The Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs were among the first to cultivate cacao, using it to make a bitter beverage called xocoatl. It was often spiced with chili peppers and used in various rituals and ceremonies.

💥 Currency: in ancient Mesoamerican cultures, cacao beans were so valuable that they were used as a form of currency. For example, 100 beans could buy a slave or a turkey.

💥 The Aztecs believed that cacao had stimulating properties and used it as an aphrodisiac. Emperor Montezuma was said to consume a large amount of cacao before visiting his harem. We can't deny that chocolate's mood-enhancing properties, combined with cultural and psychological factors, contribute to its romantic allure! ❤️

💥 A cacao pod contains 20 to 50 beans, each surrounded by a sweet, mucilaginous pulp. The pods grow directly on the trunk and larger branches of the tree, a feature known as cauliflory.

💥 After harvesting, cacao beans are fermented for several days, a critical step that develops the flavor precursors needed for chocolate production.

💥 The Cacao tree thrives in the humid, tropical regions around the equator. It can be grown as an exciting house plant.

💥 Health benefits: cacao beans are rich in antioxidants, magnesium, iron, and other minerals. They also contain flavonoids, associated with heart health benefits.

💥 There are three main varieties of cacao beans: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. Criollo is considered the highest quality but is less common due to its susceptibility to disease. Forastero is the most widely grown, known for its hardiness. Trinitario is a hybrid of the two.

💥 It takes about 400 cacao beans to make one pound of chocolate. The beans undergo roasting, grinding, and mixing with sugar and other ingredients to produce the final chocolate product.

📚Learn more: Plants of Love - Aphrodisiacs of the plant world

🛒 Grow your own Chocolate Tree

#Food_Forest #Fun_Facts

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💮 It's not an orchid! But it looks like orchid: Laos Silver Stripe

💋 Kaempferia angustifolia - Laos Silver Stripe is one of the most beautiful of all the Kaempferia Peacock Ginger cultivars. It is one of the large types.

💋 The plant has boldly striped leaves of green and silver.

💋 The flowers are orchid shaped white and purple

💋 Small, compact perennial, great for container culture. Deciduous in winter, like many others from Ginger family.

💋 Shade lover, great as exotic houseplant.

💋 This hard to find variety is a must for every Ginger collector.

🛒 Order Laos Silver Stripe

#Shade_Garden #Container_Garden

🏵 TopTropicals