/oss/taxonomy/term/351/all en /oss/article/you-asked/should-we-be-worried-about-theobromine-chocolate <p>Only if you are a dog. Theobromine was first isolated from cacao beans back in 1841, which explains the name. Cacao beans grow on a tree named Theobroma cacao in 1753 by the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus who derived the term from the Greek "Theo" meaning God and "brosi" for food. Linnaeus obviously thought the tree produced the “food of the gods” and many would agree given that cacao beans are of course the source of chocolate. The cacao tree originated in South America and its product was one of the first novelties Christopher Columbus and his crew encountered in the New World.</p> Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:20:51 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1576 at /oss