Cacao Beans and Cacao Nibs

Cacao is a small evergreen tree in the family Sterculiaceae or Malvaceae, native to the deep tropical region of the Americas. There are two prominent competing theories about the origins of the original wild Theobroma cacao tree. Some people believe wild examples were originally distributed from southeastern Mexico to the Amazon basin, with domestication taking place both in the Lacandon area of Mesoamerica and in lowland South America. Recent studies of Theobroma cacao genetics seem to show that the plant originated in the Amazon and was distributed by man throughout Central America and Mesoamerica. Its seeds are used to make cocoa and chocolate. 

Cacao Nibs and cacao beans are popular stuff in the healthy food market