Origen del Cacao en Ecuador

Cacao, la identidad del Ecuador

El origen del cacao fue internacionalmente reconocido de Centroamérica. Sin embargo, una investigación realizada por el antropólogo Francisco Valdez en el año 2009, reconoció a Ecuador como “La Cuna del Cacao”.  

Su domesticación tuvo lugar en la Amazonia Ecuatoriana, específicamente en el cantón Palanda, ubicado en la provincia de Zamora Chinchipe, a través de una expedición donde se encontraron restos de cacao en las vasijas usadas por la cultura Mayo Chinchipe-Marañón. Con este descubrimiento se pudo afirmar que, en Sudamérica, específicamente en Ecuador, se usó y domesticó cacao hace 5,300 años, antes que, los Olmecas y Mayas en Centroamérica hace 3,800 años. El tipo de cacao cultivado en Palanda fue el cacao fino de aroma, el cual representa a nuestro país.

En la actualidad, la exportación del cacao es de suma importancia económica para Ecuador por la generación de 940 millones de dólares. Además de brindar trabajo a más de 600,000 ecuatorianos, ya sea de manera directa o indirecta. En el caso particular de Guayaquil su vínculo histórico es estrecho debido a que durante el primer boom cacaotero (1.780-1820), la transportación fluvial fue fundamental para el envío desde las plantaciones hasta los puertos, convirtiendo al puerto principal en el centro de comercialización hacia el exterior.  

En conclusión, podemos agregar que, el cacao es un elemento identitario único no solo por su origen ecuatoriano sino por la versatilidad productiva la cual alberga sus dos variedades en las cuatro regiones del país, elevando la calidad gastronómica, sensorial y vivencial de propios y extraños. Y tú, ¿has vivido la experiencia cacaotera en Ecuador? 

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