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From Cancun, the Art of Chocolate

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - September 8, 2014

Above: ki-kakaw chocolate

Was this chocolate, or an ancient Mayan relief?

Well, it was a bit of both.

It’s called ki-kakaw, and it’s a special chocolate made in Cancun on Mexico’s Caribbean coast.

Ki-kakaw is branded with the Mayan symbol for cocoa, and the large, thick brick of milk chocolate is actually a relief of sorts, with each piece a three-dimensional sign for days of the Mayan calendar.

The cacao itself comes from the Mexican state of Tabasco, where it’s then sent for production in the Cancun area.

Island Bites got our hands on the milk chocolate variety, which was 39 percent cacao, a delectable, sweet, slightly nutty bar.

It’s not a surprise, though — in Mayan, ki-kakaw means “delicious cacao.”

— CJ

CJ’s Island Bites column brings you the best of Caribbean food. 

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