Guatemala promotes itself as the birthplace of chocolate, with the Mayans worshipping the cacao tree and calling chocolate the "food of the gods".
Delicious food
This ancient civilization also revered chocolate for its aphrodisiac qualities, with Moctezuma apparently consuming absurd amounts of the food to enhance his sexual stamina.
During the Maya and Aztec periods, chocolate was mainly consumed as a beverage in the Xoconochco and Suchitepequez regions.
A metate or stone was used to grind the cacao into an edible form.
Not so sweet
It was enjoyed bitter and spicy, adding chilies and corn flour to the fermented cacao pulp mixture and drinking it for health and vitality.
Modern studies have even shown cacao's ability to lower blood pressure, boost energy, act as a diuretic, and treat ailments like asthma and respiratory problems, so it should not be too surprising that this ingredient has been valued for a long time.
Cacao was so precious that enjoying chocolate was reserved for the rich and important Aztecs.
Today
Today, Guatemala produces 10,414 tons of chocolate, with 9,172 cacao farms spread over 3,920 hectares.
The main cacao variety used in Guatemalan chocolate is Criollo; other types include Forastera and Trinitario, which is considered the best.
Classified as "fine grade," Criollo is the oldest known variety, though the rarest since it produces the fewest seeds.
With its sweet aroma, delicate flavor, and lack of bitterness, it is the favorite among chocolatiers, despite representing only 1% of global production. It's not surprising that, despite producing excellent chocolate, Guatemala's exports are low, but its demand remains high.
