The seeds of the cocoa tree are particularly rich in polyphenols such as flavonoids, a class of plant substances that has been attracting increasing interest in recent years due to its physiological and pharmacological properties.
The history of cocoa dates back to the 14th century. For the Aztecs, cocoa was considered sacred and was revered as a gift from God. They used cocoa beans not only as an offering and a means of payment, but also to make a bitter, spicy drink called xocóatl, from which the word "chocolate" originated. The Spanish conquistadors quickly realized that this "brown gold" was of particular value and the cocoa drink spread around the world. The botanist Carl von Linné eventually named the cocoa plant Theobroma - the food of the gods.
