Great observation. Never thought about it this way. Will have to do some exploring on this history.

Besides flavor, I have been following the health benefits from raw cacoa and found some cocoa straight from Ecuador that is still in the skin... not roasted.

http://www.beonliving.com/shop/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=99...
(I removed a tinyurl. I don't allow those, they hide where a link goes.)

A bit bitter but when you bite into a cocao "bean" it is a rush of pure potency. :) The chocolate nibs and chocolate covered golden berries are also wonderful.

KAP