Chocolate

The Food of the Gods

The Dominican Republic is rightly famous for its high-quality cocoa, which is grown in organic farms without the use of any chemicals. The region’s wet tropical climate and frequent rainfall are ideal for cocoa cultivation.

Few people know that cocoa's ancestral home is in the river basins of the Amazon and Orinoco in South America, where it was “domesticated” around 5,500 years ago.

Later, it gradually spread throughout the entire Caribbean region. The indigenous people living here used the highly valued cocoa as a form of currency. They regularly offered it to their gods and prepared drinks from it during their ritual ceremonies.

In the late 15th century, the colonizing Spaniards "rediscovered" cocoa and established numerous plantations to bring it to the commercial market.

So, why does cocoa have such immense global significance?

It serves as a raw material for countless products in the food industry, pharmaceutical industry, and cosmetics industry, such as chocolate, various hair care products, moisturizing, and skincare preparations.

Its consumption increases serotonin and dopamine levels, contains flavonoids among many other benefits, and serves as an excellent antioxidant.

Therefore, there’s no need to feel guilty about indulging in a little bit of chocolate.

However, it is definitely worth paying attention to choosing quality, artisanal chocolates instead of commercial, overly sugary sweets!