Theobroma cacao priests lancing their ear lobes (autosacrifice) and covering the cacao with blood as a suitable sacrifice to the gods. The cacao beverage as ritual was used only by men, as it was believed to be toxic for women and children. The first European knowledge about chocolate came in the form of a beverage which was first introduced to the Spanish at their meeting with Moctezuma in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in 1519. Cortés and others noted the vast quantities of this beverage the Aztec emperor consumed, and how it was carefully whipped by his attendants beforehand. Examples of cacao
Theobroma cacao cacao" through a process of steps that involve harvesting, fermenting of "T. cacao" pulp, drying, harvesting, and then extraction. Roasting "T. cacao" by using superheated steam was found to be better than conventional roasting (use of ovens) because it resulted in same quality of cocoa beans in a shorter amount of time. In 2016, world production was 4.5 million tonnes, led by Ivory Coast with 33% of global production and Ghana with 19% of the total (table).. The pests and diseases to which cacao is subject, along with climate change, mean that new varieties will be needed to respond to