2007/11/16 by John S. Henderson, Rosemary A. Joyce, Gretchen R. Hall +2 · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Medicine · #Botanical Research and Applications #Mesoamerica #Pulp (tooth) #Geography #Archaeology #Medicine
paper · doi:10.1073/pnas.0708815104
openalex publication_date 2007/11/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Chemical analyses of residues extracted from pottery vessels from Puerto Escondido in what is now Honduras show that cacao beverages were being made there before 1000 B.C., extending the confirmed use of cacao back at least 500 years. The famous chocolate beverage served on special occasions in later times in Mesoamerica, especially by elites, was made from cacao seeds. The earliest cacao beverages consumed at Puerto Escondido were likely produced by fermenting the sweet pulp surrounding the seeds.