yaupon
YAW-pon
Definition
An evergreen shrub native to the southeastern United States that contains caffeine and was historically used to prepare a ceremonial drink.
Etymology
The word comes from the Catawba language, specifically from the term 'yopun' which means 'leaf'. It was adopted into English by early European settlers who observed Native American use of the plant.
In the news
The article uses yaupon to explain why previous chemical tests for chocolate were inconclusive; because yaupon holly contains similar chemical compounds, researchers could not confirm if ancient residues were from cacao or this local plant.
Ancient cacao DNA has been recovered from two pottery fragments dug out of eleventh and twelfth century feasting pits at Etowah in Georgia, reported as the first clear evidence that cacao consumption was part of the Mississippian world
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com