MADE IN BELIZE

On the Chocolate Trail in Belize

Tuesday, Sep 23, 2008, 5:13 PM | Subscribe to the magazine

Theobroma Cacao, the scientific name for a chocolate tree, means "food of the gods. (Joshua Berman)
Southern Belize's chocolate trail begins with a visit to an organic cacao farm. (Joshua Berman)
In their raw fruit form, cacao seeds are covered in a sweet, slimy, edible pulp that must be processed before they become chocolate. (Joshua Berman)
After fermenting and drying the cacao seeds, the next step is to remove the shells by hand. (Joshua Berman)
Cyrila Cho, a modern-day Mayan, offers a day of chocolate making in her home in the village of San Felipe. (Joshua Berman)
Cleaning the beans at the Cho family's "Organic Master" chocolate workshop. (Joshua Berman)
Before grinding the seeds, Cyrila adds wild vanilla, sugar, and allspice. (Joshua Berman)
Making chocolate on an old matate, or grinding stone. (Joshua Berman)
Ancient Mayan royalty and priests drank chocolate in a spicy beverage; today's Mayans make homemade artisanal chocolate to sell to locals and tourists. (Joshua Berman)
Cotton Tree Lodge in southern Belize makes its own brand of chocolate in addition to offering guests a trip down the chocolate trail. (Joshua Berman)