Yellow Cacao (Theobroma cacao)

Yellow cacao is the plant world’s golden ticket: Its cultivation famously dates back at least 4,000 years ago, when the indigenous people in Mesoamerica harvested it for use in ceremonies, medicine, and cooking. Today, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who does not believe in the godly powers of Theobroma cacao, even though they may not recognize it as such. Cacao crops are cultivated on a global level to produce the world’s cocoa supply.

Yellow cacao is just one variety of Theobroma cacao that produces uniquely golden fruits. Cacao plants won’t be too fussed if your intentions for its fruit are sacred or sacrilegious, but it does have a few care preferences. Cacao will feel at home in an environment most like tropical rain forests. Long summers and pampered days of tropical-level humidity will get Theobroma cacao to produce fruit prolifically. Embrace the peculiarities of the cacao plant, and prepare to yield success as a powerful shaman, or artisan chocolatier.