Chocolate comes from the seeds of the cacao tree, scientifically known as Theobroma cacao , which means "food of the gods" in Greek. The cacao tree is a small tropical evergreen native to the deep tropical regions of the Americas, especially Central and South America

. The cacao tree produces pods containing seeds called cocoa beans, which are bitter and must be fermented, dried, cleaned, and roasted to develop the chocolate flavor. The beans are then processed into cocoa mass, the base for chocolate products

. Historically, cacao was first domesticated over 5,000 years ago in what is now southeast Ecuador and later introduced to Mesoamerica, where ancient civilizations such as the Olmecs, Mayans, and Aztecs highly valued cacao. They consumed it mainly as a bitter, spiced drink and used cacao beans as currency and in religious ceremonies

. Today, cacao trees grow naturally within about 20 degrees north and south of the equator, requiring warm temperatures (21–32 °C) and high rainfall. Commercial cacao production is concentrated in tropical regions, with about 70% of the world's cacao grown in Africa, particularly in countries like Ivory Coast and Ghana, which are the largest producers globally

. In summary, chocolate originates from cacao beans harvested from tropical cacao trees native to the Americas but now grown commercially in tropical regions around the world, especially in West Africa