Where is chocolate originally from? A rundown of the world's main producing countries

“Chocolate”--called the “food of the gods”, and cocoa powder called the “drink of the gods”, has since its birth attracted countless gourmands who are obsessed and fanatical about it. So where is chocolate originally from?

The regions where cacao trees can be grown are hot and humid tropical and subtropical climate zones, with abundant rainfall, within 20 degrees north and south of the equator, known as the “cocoa belt”. Of this, Africa accounts for 70%, while Central and South America and Asia each account for about 15%.

Currently the three countries that produce the most chocolate in the world are, first, Cote d'Ivoire, known as the Ivory Coast (accounting for about 40% of global production), second, Ghana (about 13%), and third, Indonesia. Next are Venezuela and Ecuador, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic in South America, and also Madagascar, Sao Tome and Principe in Africa, while Thailand, Vietnam, India and other places in Asia also produce small amounts.