Re: Cocoa = $$

You are right~~evidence suggests cacao beans were used
as a substitute for money. Of course, my favorite
justification is that anything considered "Food of
the Gods" is good enough for me.

http://www.athenapub.com/chocolat.htm

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According to Aztec mythology, the cacao tree was brought down from heaven by a god named Quetzacoatl. So the drink made from its beans was believed to impart wisdom and power. When Hernando Cortez stormed into their kingdom, the Aztecs supposed that he was Quetzacoatl returned, and tried to placate him with cocoa.

The conquistador was not enthusiastic about the taste. The Aztecs drank their cocoa cold, unsweetened, thickened with corn meal, spiced with chili peppers and vanilla, and dyed red with achiote--in a frothy brew that would probably leave modern palates gasping!

Cortez was, however, impressed by the golden goblets from which Montezuma sipped his xocoatl ("bitter water"), and by the fact that cocoa beans served as currency in the Aztec realm. The conquistador established his own plantation so he could, quite literally, grown money on trees!

Christopher Columbus had earlier noticed that Mayan traders used what he called "almonds" in place of coins. He may even have sent some of those "almonds" as samples back to King Ferdinand. But his search for the spice-rich Indies apparently caused him to overlook the flavoring that could really have made his fortune!

info source~~

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/historical_plants/88987

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Life is too short not to enjoy chocolate.
I prefer dark which is considered the healthiest
choice of chocolate.

Here is a link to plenty of articles which
extol the benefits of dark chocolate~~

http://www.wellsphere.com/wellpage/benefits-of-dark-chocolate

blessings,
Zoe

-_-


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