Question

The centre of origin of cacao is:
A. Ethiopia
B. Brazil
C. India
D. Peru

Answer 1

Hint: Theobroma cacao also called as cacao tree and cocoa tree, is a small evergreen tree in the family Malvaceae, native to the deep tropical regions of Central and South America.

Complete Answer:
- The cacao tree is native to the Amazon basin. Cocoa was first developed as a crop in many ancient South American cultures, with the Aztecs and Mayans being the most well-known of these indigenous populations. It was domesticated by the Olmecs (Mexico).
- More than 4,000 years ago, it was consumed by pre-hispanic cultures along the Yucatán, including the Maya, and as far back as Olmec civilization in spiritual ceremonies. It also grows in the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America, in Columbia and Venezuela.
- Wild cacao still grows there. Its range may have been larger in the past; evidence of its wild range may be obscured by cultivation of the tree in these areas since long before the Spanish arrived.
- The origins of cocoa also gradually changed. Europeans began increasingly to colonise Africa, and they brought the cocoa tree with them. Cocoa was successfully planted in Sao Tome and Principe and then migrated as plantations spread throughout the African continent.
- The industrial epoch led to the slow decline of production in South America, despite its expansion from its original growing areas to the Amazon River and saw a new cocoa empire emerge on African soil. In effect, since the start of the 20th century, Africa has taken the lead and has become the biggest cocoa producer.

Hence, the correct answer for this question is B, i.e. Brazil.

Note: Cocoa beans are used to make various products which include cocoa liquor, cocoa butter, cocoa powder and couverture. Couverture is made of both cocoa butter and cocoa liquor. It is a high-quality chocolate used for the manufacturing of chocolate.