But before cacao becomes the sweet treat we know and love, it starts as a tough little pod filled with raw beans -- and with that, comes the bitter truth about cacao. Here's the kicker: Eating those ...

Cacao fruit is what chocolate is made from. Learn the history of cacao, how chocolate is made, and the many ways we enjoy ...

open cacao pod full of cacao beans with an intact pod behind it on a bed of cacao beans - Atlantide Phototravel/Getty Images ...

PRESS/De Agostini via Getty Images) From roasting cacao beans to the velvety smoothness of hand-tempered chocolate, every step in the chocolate-making process is a testament to the chocolatier’s ...

Gardeners who love chocolate may want to grow cacao and make their own chocolate. Cacao trees grow well here in Hawaii and ...

The cocoa beans are then cleaned, roasted and ground according to the intended end product.

In the tropical nations of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria, rows of cacao trees sprout pods bearing dozens of seeds. Once harvested, these humble beans are dried, roasted ...