Chocoholics Through The Ages

Chocoholics, Through the Ages

Addicted to chocolate? So was ancient man.

According to a study in Nature Ecology & Evolution, ancient South Americans consumed the cacao plant – from which chocolate originates – about 5,450 years ago, Science Alert reported.

In the highlands of Ecuador, archaeologists discovered residue of Theobroma cacao – the cacao tree – in several ceramic artifacts, suggesting that the ancient locals consumed the plant 1,500 years earlier than the Mesoamericans in Central America.

“No archaeological evidence of cacao use in South America had ever been previously reported … even though botanists had long known that Amazonia held the greatest number of Theobroma species and T. cacao varieties,” said co-author Michael Blake.

Researchers argued the local Mayo Chinchipe people used the domesticated plant as a beverage for ritual ceremonies and practices, but further evidence revealed that average citizens consumed it on a daily basis.

It’s unsure as to how the precious seed went north, but the team speculates that trade might have resulted in its proliferation.

They hope that further study might reveal an earlier origin of cacao usage, with Blake noting that the plant was irresistible to the ancient locals.

“It is such an obvious and alluring plant,” he said.