Cacao

Cacao beans, the primary component of chocolate, are surely familiar to you, yet they aren't actually beans. The fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree, which is shaped like a pod, contains cacao beans, which are actually seeds. Each pod contains dozens of seeds as well as tasty pulp. Because they were once revered as sacred in Central America, cacao beans continue to be important to Costa Rican culture and commerce.

Chocolate is one of the tastiest forms of cacao to consume. If you happen to be in Costa Rica when the weather is a little cooler, think about tasting a hot chocolate since chocolate was first created into a liquid before becoming a solid candy. Cacao fruit is also edible in its unprocessed state. Pop the seeds into your mouth and eat the sweet pulp of the seed. The pulp has a unique and complex taste with notes of citrus and other tropical flavors. Given its abundance in flavanols, an antioxidant class of antioxidants, raw cacao is regarded as a superfood. Flavanol consumption may reduce your risk of heart disease, enhance digestion, reduce stress, enhance cognition, and decrease your risk of type 2 diabetes.