Kakawa Cocoa Beans from Cocoa Puro.
Photo by Kent Lacin | Cocoa Puro.

Researchers have determined that millions of years ago, one particular tree whose pods contained what we now call cacao beans is the actual mother tree responsible for all the cacao and chocolate in the world.

Cacao now grows worldwide in the “cacao belt,” 20 degrees north and south of the equator, in humid jungle lowlands. It can be found from South America to Madagascar.*

Amid the three categories of cacao beans—criollo, forastero and trinitario, a hybrid of the two—there are many thousands of clonal varieties because the trees crossbreed naturally. The pods range from elongated to squat, and yellow to yellow-green to orange to deep burgundy (see photos.)

*A comprehensive list of cacao-producing countries and cities includes Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Hawaii, Honduras, Jamaica, Java, Madagascar, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Saint Vincent and Grenadine, Samoa, Santa Lucia, São Tomé and Principe, Sri Lanka, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Windward and Leeward Islands. Not all is top quality; only 5%-10% of the world’s cacao falls into this category.

Our new Soup Glossary is the latest of our 70+ food glossaries: mini-courses in learning in everything from A (antioxidant foods) through Y (yogurt—there’s no Z yet, but zucchini is in our Squash Glossary).

You’ll have fun perusing pretty pictures of soup as you learn the different types of soups and the history.

Instant ramen noodle soup was invented in Japan in 1956 (and where would the college students of America be without it?). Before then everyone in Japan enjoyed fresh ramen noodle soup with hand-cut noodles, which came from China at the turn of the 20th century.

The very word “supper” comes from “soup,” which used to be the evening meal for less affluent people (i.e., most people).

• Find your favorite foods in the other food glossaries.

Can you name this soup? Photo courtesy
MackenzieLtd.com. (It’s bouillabaisse.)

This hot dog needs garlic pepper jelly!
Photo by Sarah Lewis | SXC.

While one of the most popular recipes is to serve the glistening jelly on top of a block of cream cheese or Brie with crackers, we have dozens of suggestions in our review of Aloha From Oregon pepper jellies, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

Just a few mouthwatering uses: serve pepper jelly with omelets, spread it on roast meats, add it to any salad with mayo (chicken, potato, tuna, etc.), use it as a spicy topping for cheesecake.

Read the review and you’ll learn not just about the products and uses, but where the quirky name came from.

Since April is National Garlic Month, we’ve got to call out Aloha’s Garlic Pepper Jelly and one of our favorite uses for it: on a hot dog! The garlicky jelly pairs with the garlic in the hot dog and is quite the gourmet touch—no mustard required.

• Find more of our jellies in our Gourmet Jams & Jellies section.
• What’s the difference between jam and jelly? Between preserve and conserve? Check out our “spread sheet,” a.k.a. our Jams & Jellies Glossary.
• Discover our favorite organic hot dogs for that Garlic Pepper Jelly.

A frilly, retro Flirty Apron. It:

• Fits everyone
• Comes in colors and patterns to suit every woman (and every kitchen)
• Is so cute that it makes a fashion statement (we’re going to wear ours out on the street)
• Also makes a great shower gift, bridesmaid’s gift, etc.FlirtyAprons.com even has mother-daughter aprons—and we mean for little girls, although your mom would probably love it if the two of you had matching aprons.

  Check out the selection at FlirtyAprons.com. There’s still time to send Mother’s Day gifts.

  And don’t forget to pick up a few pairs of those fetching rubber gloves: so nifty you’ll enjoy scrubbing pots and pans.

There are lots of colors, but we like
our apron in “basic black.” Photo courtesy FlirtyAprons.com.

Another way to enjoy peanuts! Photo
courtesy Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Peanuts, which originated in South America, actually came to the U.S. with African slaves. Brought to West Africa by Portuguese and Spanish traders, peanuts were a staple crop for West Africans.

We first had a bowl of peanut soup at the King’s Arms Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. We were a young teen who liked peanut butter, but the concept of peanut soup seemed an oddity. So we had to try it.

It was love at first slurp. But in the ensuing decades, it’s been pretty hard to come across a bowl of peanut soup north of the Mason-Dixon line.

Thanks to Montebello Kitchens, purveyors of Virginia artisan foods, anyone can now have peanut soup three ways: Traditional, African Piri Piri (spicy) and Thai Curry (hot). All three simple-to-make varieties are delicious. As a bonus, they’re made from defatted peanut flour, are fat-free and only 145 calories per serving!

• Read the full review to see how we serve peanut soup.
• For you from-scratch cookers, we’ve also included the recipe for the King’s Arms Tavern creamy peanut soup and a recipe for spicy Senegalese peanut soup.
• Find more of our favorite soups and recipes in our Gourmet Soup section.