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Chocolate itself first began as Xocolatl, or “bitter water,” a spiced drink made from ground cacao beans, chiles and spices that originated with the Aztecs and Mayans.

Unlike cacao beans, which are used to create chocolate, carob is naturally sweet and does not contain the stimulants caffeine or theobromine, which may be appealing to some, and unappealing to others.

During production, cacao beans are separated into meaty solids, known as nibs, and a fatty portion called cocoa butter.

Freshly harvested cacao beans don’t have much lead, but as they dry, they accumulate dust.

Two millennia after Mayans ground cacao beans into an unsweetened, heavily spiced beverage, most modern Mexican styles still use stone-ground chocolate tablets, now with varying degrees of sweetness.