Chocolate industry in the Philippines name given by Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus in 1753 is "Theobroma cacao", is one of the 22 "Theobroma" species. "Theobroma" means “food for the Gods", from the Greek words "theo" (god) and "broma" (food). This species is utilized as raw materials for pharmaceutical products and cosmetics, however, cacao is primarily used for the production of chocolate and cocoa by processing the beans. In the Filipino language, chocolate is translated as "tsokolate", which is also a hot chocolate drink made from "tablea". "Tablea" are cacao tablets made from roasted and ground cacao nibs molded into rounds or tablets traditionally used in
Maria Cacao is an imported term that came from Latin America when the Spanish arrived. Additionally, the term 'Maria' was added by the Spanish to turn her into 'Catholic', in a bid to widen Spanish rule in southern Cebu. Like in Makiling and Sinukuan, it is assumed that Maria Cacao's mythology was present prior to Spanish arrival, with minor differences. The basic form of the Maria Cacao legend is that whenever rains flood the river that comes from Mount Lantoy, or a bridge is broken, this is a sign that Maria Cacao and her husband "Mangao" have either traveled down the river