By decision of the Senate of Mexico, since 2019, on September 2 of each year, the importance of these items in the culture and economy of Mexicans is exalted.
Cocoa and chocolate are as important for Mexicans in their culture and economy as they are for Venezuelans, which is why, for three years, they have been celebrating the National Cocoa and Chocolate Day every September 2, to exalt the importance that have these items in the culture and economy of Mexicans.
Cocoa is one of the most representative crops of Mexican culture; and it is that according to records, the Olmecs, natives of the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico, were the first to domesticate this plant original of the river valleys of equatorial South America.
The Encyclopedia of Science and Culture of Food, Cuisine and Food, by Harold Macgee, refers that the cocoa plant, for its mucilage (the sweet and moist pulp that covers the seed of the cob) was used by ancient as a portable reserve of energy and water on their way from South America to Central America and southern Mexico.
Before the year 600 (bc), the Olmecs taught the Mayans about the cacao tree, which they cultivated in the tropical Yucatan peninsula and in Central America, and sold it to the Aztecs, who seem to have been the first to roast and grind the seed of the cocoa fruit to prepare a drink that they served in religious ceremonies, that they related to human blood.
These seeds were so valuable that they were also used as currency.
Cocoa production in Mexico
In Mexico, the main producers are in the southern states of Guerrero, Chiapas and Tabasco, the latter which concentrates more than 60% of its production.
In total, together they produce about 28 tons per year, less than a quarter of domestic demand, according to the Foundation Herdez AC, a non-profit association whose mission is to promote research and education in food development.
But to celebrate this date, this year, in Tabasco, Mexico, the I National Cocoa and Chocolate Fair will be held this weekend, in which more than 40 chocolate houses and cocoa producers from 12 states of this country will exhibit and they will sell their products.
In addition, there will be different cultural activities this Friday 2nd, Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th of September for the general public.
