Other

BBC World Service South Asia

The Forum

Documentaries

Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past.

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East Asia

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

BBC World Service News Internet

The Forum: The bittersweet tale of cocoa

Discussion & Talk

A cropped cocoa pods lies over dried cacao beans  (Getty Images)

20/05/2017 GMT

The bittersweet tale of cocoa

BBC World Service - The Forum, The bittersweet tale of cocoa

The history of cacao in the Americas, from the Maya to the Aztecs

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)

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Forum

The bittersweet tale of cocoa

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service South Asia

About BBC World Service