Cocoa, cacao and Theobroma cacao

The Mexicans use the cacao or cocoa commodity since 1500. Cacauatl is how they called the tree from which this divine food is obtained.

In 1735 Linnaeus, the Swedish scientist known as the father of botany, named this American tropical tree Theobroma cacao. This is since then the scientific name for the cacao tree cacauatl

In Greek Theo-broma means Food of the Gods. Why Linnaeus gave such a noble name to it is anybody's guess. However, some suggest that it was because he was extremely fond of the chocolate beverage.

As we can see the name of this species is cacao. But as Englishmen found it difficult to pronounce, it became cocoa.