Become a Xocolatier in Cancun – Things To Do In Cancun
Oh chocolate, that sweet delicious temptations, that bar or cup of warmth and energy that we all need once in a while… many a couple of times a day and unlimited times throughout our lives… oh sweet chocolate of mine!
But, apart from eating it and enjoying all the awesomeness that we know exists within it, how much do we actually know about it? Well, you might be surprised. Did you know that chocolate comes from the cocoa tree and its natural of the Americas? The word itself comes from Xocolatl in Nahuatl language.
Some popular recipes in Mexico mix sugar with the spicy taste of chili pepper.
Photo: The Food Network
The tree naturally grow from the Amazonic jungle all the way up through Central America until it stops (naturally) in the jungles of the Yucatan Peninsula. Actually the earliest trace of cocoa or chocolate consumption known comes from the mexican state of Veracruz between 1,900 and 900 B.C. Later, Olmecs and Mayans used cocoa beans(which they called kawkaw) as their currency and created beverages reserved exclusively to the higher members of its society such as the royalty, priest and it was also used to perform religious ceremonies.
The Cocoa Tree grows from South America all the way up to Mexico.
That´s a brief history of this elixir that we all enjoy now (thanks to the europeans who added sugar). Now you probably think; what does this has to do with Cancun? Well, first of all, Cancun is strategically located in the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula where the cocoa tree grows.
Second of all, did you know that one of the tons of things to do in Cancun you can take a Chocolate Workshop at Xcaret Park? You can take advantage of your full day visit to the park and attend this workshop where you will learn how to harvest, peal, crush, season and mold your own chocolate bar using an ancient recipe.
Chocolate Workshop at Xcaret Park.
Photo: Xcaret.
So, while you head back to Cancun from Xcaret Park you can look back at your day you can really enjoy your day in the sun, get upclose and personal with stunning flora and fauna, feel proud of yourself for taking a precious and delicious souvenir home with you along with that new skill of being a true Xocolatier!