There are a lot of citizens in the world who think that one of the best things that Christopher Columbus did was to provide an opportunity to Europeans to discover the delicious taste of America’s chocolate. Jokes apart, cocoa from the Dominican Republic is one of the best in the world.

The chocolate route in Dominican Republic is something that no traveler should miss. Entering the island, towards the ancient lands where sugar cane was cultivated, we’ll find the current cocoa plantations.

Local production is fervently artisan, an advocate of organic farming, which preserves the legacies of the culture of Taine natives and African slaves. Mixing and hundreds of year’s work have succeeded in producing one of the most tastefull chocolate.

Visits to the North of the island tend to offer a ride by these Caribbean plantations. Producers allow visitors to pick up some seeds by hand, as well as participate in the selection of beads and form part of the production process. An active and attractive formula to understand the world of chocolate.

Dominican’s Chocolate Route also includes the possibility of specialized guides to explain to visitors the history of a product that long ago was used as currency and which, today, is eaten in most parts of the world, reaching levels of authentic gourmet pleasures.

For those who dare to visit these facilities, we recommend you to try in situ a cup of real hot chocolate and corn bread.

Creative Commons Image: Flickr/eonaxon