Cacao has a longer history with us then we thought by Corina Ciubotaru

Cocoa has been around since the beginning of human history it seems, but its effects and uses are still being discovered. Fragments of a mug believed to be used for enjoying a cocoa drink in 1150BC were found recently in Honduras, revealing the alcoholic chocolate drink was consumed 500 years earlier than previously thought. Apparently, it was made by fermenting the pulp surrounding the cacao beans and served during important ceremonies such as weddings, as suggested by the style of the 10 small pottery vessels that were discovered. The scientists studying Ulua Valley in Honduras, led by archaeologist John Henderson of Cornell University, said the drink had an important social purpose, helping to bind groups. It was served in bottles with long necks and was a especially consumed by elites. Alcoholic cacao drinks appeared long after wine and beer, which have been produced since 5400 BC in Iran and 7000 BC in China; it is only natural that this evidence was found in an area known as "the cradle of chocolate", due to its extensive cocoa plantations and fertile soils. Another study found that in later periods, the cacao beans were ground and mixed with honey and chiles to produce modern cocoa and were apparently even used as a form of money. Before the discovery of the Honduras vessels, the earliest bottles containing traces of cacao drinks were found in Colha, in northern Belize. Pots used for non-alcoholic drinks were found to be a few hundred years older than alcohol containers.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071112/ap_on_sc/ancient_chocolate;_ylt=AppJnR01yAy.cSMmnI424Ris0NUE

by Corina Ciubotaru for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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