Ceremonial Cacao
Self-love is a daily ritual.
When I heard about ceremonial cacao as a spiritual practice promoting self-love, I knew it was something worth trying. The unprocessed, pure version of chocolate, it is said to enhance one’s inner love and corresponds with the heart chakra. I wanted to replace my habit of drinking coffee which I found too harsh, so I gave ceremonial cacao a try and have never looked back. I can immediately feel the results and as a continuous practice, it amplifies that momentary feeling of inner safety and love until it becomes my reality, with or without cacao. But what is ceremonial cacao? Here are some answers:
What is “ceremonial” cacao?
Ceremonial cacao is high grade chocolate that was processed with little or no heat, no fermentation or conching. While commercial brand chocolate strips a lot of the beans’ nutritional value, ceremonial cacao tends to stop a few steps before the process to make commercial brand chocolate. Thus, it is made with no sugars or additives and typically more nutty and less refined than commercial chocolate. While the labeling “ceremonial” cacao has a loose basis on more raw chocolate, there is no reliable measure or standard for the term, so its quality can value from brand to brand. However, some trademarks of cacao is that it is unsweetened, no additives, has a grittier texture and nuttier flavour to it. While some may mistake it for something like a psychoactive or hallucinagin, it’s actually more aligned with the buzz phrase “superfood” much like the goji berry or avocado.
What makes it special?
Cacao has a lot of nutritional benefits. It has some of the highest levels of theobromine, which is a gentle stimulant unlike caffeine. It also has some traces of caffeine, but with the combination of theobromine and lower levels of caffeine, it will not produce the crash that is often associated with coffee. It is also rich with antioxidants and essential minerals like manganese, magnesium and iron. It is rich with protein and fibre, all of which results in rich health benefits for consumers, aside from its spiritual components. Regular consumption is said to aid in mental cognition, improve mood, reduce mental fatigue and even reduce age-related cognitive dysfunction. With its many essential minerals, it can boost the immune system, cardiovascular system and support gut health. It can also enhance performance and despite having stimulant qualities, it is actually said to improve sleep.
Where did this practice originate from?
Native to the Amazon basin, it is said to have been used by humans as early as 2000 BCE. Today, many cacao trees are grown in South American countries like Colombia and Venezuala. The practice of cacao ceremonies originates from Mayan and Aztec culture. The Olmecs brought the knowledge of cacao to Mayans, who would use it for spiritual, ritualistic and even shamanistic purposes. After the fall of the Mayan culture, the rise of the Aztec culture also took to cacao. While in Mayan culture, cacao was said to be usually accessible to all, Aztec culture looked at it as a gift from God and associated it with nobility and wealth thus making it less accessible for public consumption.
How did it become popularized?
Most reports suggest cacao eventually came to Europe through Spain. It became much popularized and beloved around the 1500’s, with countries like France and Italy later importing the product. Later, it became so popular across Europe that cacao plantations were created in Africa because of its ideal conditions to grow cacao trees. This is the point where cacao leaves its traditional ceremonial practices and becomes more commercial. This especially took root when Dutch Processing was invented, treating beans with alkaline salts to make a chocolate mixable with water, known as Dutch cocoa. Later, the cocoa press was invented which separated cacao butter from roasted beans to make cocoa powder, making it more affordable. In 1847, it is reported that the first chocolate bar was made from cocoa liquor paste, cacao butter and sugar. Later, dried milk powder was added in 1976 to make milk chocolate.
What’s the difference between cacao and cocoa?
Cocoa is essentially a type of commercial-standard chocolate product, in that it will have additives, sugars and other artificial chemicals in it. While it is delicious, it has very little nutritional value and is essentially developed with a market value in mind, rather than cacao’s mindfulness and spiritual practice in mind. With cocoa’s processing going beyond the stages that cacao enters into (i.e. heating, fermenting, additives, dyes etc.) it will seem like two completely different products. A good reference for mainstream chocolate is the difference between dark chocolate and milk chocolate, where dark chocolate has less production than milk chocolate, so results in a completely different taste. Cacao would then be seen as a few steps less than dark chocolate in the processing stages.
I usually use water, milk and honey for my cacao, and use a milk frother to integrate two spoonfuls with the liquid of choice before pouring the rest of the liquid in. Some people use a blender, but it’s all very individual. The most important aspect of it is the intention when preparing and consuming it, because that is what we put into ourselves. In essence, we can learn to do this with all things we consume as they become integrated within us. But cacao is a great entryway into more mindfulness and self-love because of its inherent spiritual and medicinal properties.
