History of Chocolate

While living in Hawaii, I learned about many botanical wonders, including the cacao tree. The colorful pods captured my imagination, and I set out to learn how the raw material turns into chocolate. Hawaii is at the very top of the “cacao belt” that runs 20 degrees north and south of the equator.

There is a lot of misinformation about chocolate and cacao. I started envisioning a book called The Dark and Decadent World of Chocolate that would share the origins of cacao and the chocolate-making process.

So far, I have this illustration that weaves elements throughout history, chocolate instruments, and details of the tree and pods.