The bittersweet tale of cocoa
The history of cacao in Latin America, from the Maya to the Aztecs, with Bridget Kendall, Cameron McNeil, Maricel Presilla and Juan Carlos Motamayor.
Do you like cocoa? You are in good company: in South and Central America people have been enjoying the fruit of the cacao tree - the source of cocoa, chocolate and much else - for thousands of years. Ancient empires fought battles for the control of the best trees, cacao beans were used as currency, and being able to make a tasty cacao drink could even save your life. To trace the history of cacao in Latin America, Bridget Kendall is joined by archaeologist Cameron McNeil, chef and food historian Maricel Presilla and geneticist and cacao researcher Juan Carlos Motamayor. The reader is Joseph Balderama.
(Photo: A cropped cocoa pod lies over dried cacao beans. Credit: Getty Images)
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Broadcasts
- Sat 20 May 2017 19:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Mon 22 May 2017 03:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service Online & UK DAB/Freeview only
- Tue 23 May 2017 23:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service except News Internet
- Thu 30 Mar 2023 09:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Thu 30 Mar 2023 23:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Sun 2 Apr 2023 00:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
- Sun 2 Apr 2023 19:06GMTΒι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ World Service
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