The Tree That Feeds Our Soul: The Rich Heritage of Philippine Chocolate

Happy Sunday Hivers!

My mom’s grandmother was really fond of planting fruit trees, and she also loved buying pieces of land. The piece of land where we made our garden actually belonged to her. She originally bought it, but later gave it to one of her children. Eventually, that child, or one of her grandchildren sold the land, and my sister was the one who bought it.

There were already two cacao trees growing on this piece of land. In fact, they’ve been producing fruit for as long as I can remember, even when I was still a child. I remember my best friend, my siblings, and I would always hang out here whenever the cacao pods were ripe and plentiful. Of course, we would harvest them ourselves because the cacao beans are so delicious when you suck the sweet pulp off them.

These cacao trees used to produce so many fruits, but these days, although it still bears fruit, it’s not as productive as it was before. Just last month, we harvested one cacao pod, but it had already become extremely overripe. The seeds had even reached the point where they looked like they were starting to sprout. There were also around three pods that had already fallen to the ground because they were too ripe.

These days, both trees are producing fruit again, and I noticed that the two trees seem to be different varieties. The cacao pods from one tree have a different shape compared to the pods from the other tree. I honestly don’t know much about the different cacao varieties, though.

I had actually lost interest in cacao because I no longer enjoyed sucking the sweet pulp off the seeds. But when I saw my friend roasting dried cacao beans to make tablea, that’s when I asked my mom if we could sell our cacao beans to my friend. My mom said they actually buy dried cacao beans to make tablea, and that’s when I became interested in our cacao trees again.

So I told my mom that this time, I’m going to keep a close eye on the cacao pods so they don’t become overripe and fall to the ground. That way, we can harvest them at the right time, dry the cacao seeds properly and sell them.

Did you know that we have a lot of cacao trees here in the Philippines? That’s actually one of the reasons tablea is so popular here. We use tablea to make hot chocolate, which we usually enjoy with puto maya or bread.

Tablea is made from cacao beans. The beans are dried under the sun, then roasted, ground, and shaped into whatever form the maker prefers, whether it’s oval, square, or another shape.

There are people in our area who make tablea, and we can buy it much cheaper from them compared to buying it at the supermarket. The only difference is that the homemade tablea usually comes in simple plastic packaging, while the ones sold in malls are more nicely and professionally packaged.

A few months ago, one of my sister’s friends brought us some tablea as a gift. She brought several packs, and wow, the tablea smelled so good! When you smell freshly made tablea, its aroma is just amazing. It really is one of the well-loved traditional chocolate products here in the Philippines.

And now, whenever I look at our cacao trees, I see them a little differently. From those fruits growing directly on the trees, to the beans being dried and roasted, and finally becoming the fragrant tablea we enjoy with our hot chocolate, there’s a whole story behind it. That wonderful aroma of tablea somehow feels like a small reminder of the Philippines’ rich chocolate heritage, a tradition that begins with the cacao tree and continues through the hands of the people who turn its humble beans into something so comforting and special.

Thank you for reading and see you on my next blog. Cheers!

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Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places.

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