Once used as a currency among the Aztecs，cocoa beans continue to be a key export of Ecuador. Photo：Bianca Untied

“Food of the gods” was the epithet given to the cacao tree in 1753 by the Swedish botanist and cocoa lover Carl von Linne. And it is still known as such today，for that is the meaning of its scientific name Theobroma cacao. The cacao tree comes originally from the tropical regions of South America；its home is in the Amazon rainforest，where it flourishes in the shade of the gigantic trees of the virgin forest. The first reports of cultivation of the cacao tree come from the Olmecs，who settled along stretches of the Caribbean coast in what is now southern Mexico around 3，000 years ago. Cocoa was particularly popular among the Mayas and later among the Aztecs，who even used cocoa beans as a form of money. The Spanish conquerors of the Aztec empire brought the fruits back to the Old World，and cocoa began its triumphal march that was to sweep the world.