A Brief History Of Costa Rica's Chocolate

Who doesn’t love chocolate? A treat that is readily accessible, affordable, and comes in a variety of wonderful flavors. It wasn’t always this way though, for thousands of years, chocolate in its original state was prized by ancient civilizations, like the Aztecs and Mayans, and used as currency by other indigenous tribes. The history of chocolate is as rich as its taste and has a significant place in Costa Rican history too.

Chocolate money and drinks

The cacao bean (from which chocolate is made) was a highly prized and sacred crop among the Chorotega and Bribri people in Costa Rica. The Chorotega people actually used the bean as currency up until the 1930s. This cacao bean was very important, culturally and economically, to the indigenous people of Costa Rica. The women of the Bribri tribe would make a special chocolate drink from the bean for rituals and celebrations.

Costa Rican’s cash crop

Cacao bean to chocolate bars

So, how exactly do these bitter cacao beans become delicious chocolate? There are a variety of tours that you can take if you are interested in learning the entire chocolate making process from seed to tree, to bean, to chocolate. In short though, the cacao beans are first roasted, then cracked, crushed, ground into paste, conched (a device that mixes and mashes) and then tempered (heated, cooled, heated, and cooled) multiple times. The process can last up to a week for higher quality chocolate. Some highly recommended tours are the Coffee, Chocolate, and Sugar Tour in Monteverde, the Sibu Chocolate Tour in Heredia, and the Chocolate and Cahuita National Park tour in Limon.

Food of the gods

The Latin name for the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, actually means “food of the gods”. Cacao is categorized as a superfood and for good reason. Raw cacao has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-carcinogenic properties. Cacao has been proven to help lower blood pressure, improve brain health, improve cardiovascular health, aid weight loss, help prevent cancer, and improve overall mood, among many other great benefits. High quality dark chocolate is said to have similar effects. Treat yourself like the god or goddess you are and eat more cacao and dark chocolate!

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.