Celebrate Fiji Day with Chocolate

Fiji Day is the end of a week long festival in Fiji that marks the islands' liberation from English rule. Why am I mentioning this at all here on The Chocolate Cult?  Your Chocolate Priestess found out that one of their official symbols is the the cocoa pod.

The Fiji islands have a a tropical South Sea maritime climate which makes it perfect for growing cacao.  As you may recall from other posts on this site, cacao is very picky about weather so there are limited areas of the world where a serious crop can be grown. 

Here is the official description of Fiji's coat of arms from their government website: "Fiji's National Coat of arms consists of the images of two Fijian warriors on either side of a shield and the motto "Rerevaka na Kalou ka Doka na Tui" below the shield. These words mean "Fear God and honour the Queen." The shield from the coat of arms has the image of a heraldic lion holding a cocoa pod across the top. Sugarcane, a coconut palm and bunch of bananas are represented in three of the shields sections. The fourth contains the reproduction of a dove of peace, the main feature, of the Cakobau Government's flag before cession."

Fiji is a multi-cultural nation that honors several religions and traditions even though their official language is English likely because of British control in the past.  Cocoa production is a fairly recent agricultural development though the coat of arms suggests it was important for local consumption for a very long time.  Currently Fiji is a small player in the global market but as chocolate prices rise and climate change affects where our Sacred Substance can be grow, they may become more important.

We here on The Chocolate Cult would love to try some Fiji chocolate so if anyone out there knows of a chocolatier or company who uses their cacao, please leave us a comment and let us know.

To learn more about Fiji, visit their official government website.  Then leave a comment letting us know if you marked today with a special chocolate salute to their nation.