Cacao, cocoa, and coca (Etymology meets botany, agriculture and health)

Cocoa and cacao and coca?  Which one of these three things is different from the other two? (I'll leave the harder question of milk versus dark chocolate to the end of the post...)

from Microsoft copilot:

"Coca refers to the Erythroxylum coca plant, native to South America. Its leaves have been traditionally used by indigenous cultures for medicinal and stimulant purposes. Coca contains cocaine alkaloids, which can be extracted to produce the drug cocaine. However, when consumed in its natural form—such as in teas or chewed leaves—it has mild stimulant effects similar to caffeine
 

"Cocoa and cacao come from...the Theobroma cacao tree—but they go through different processing methods, leading to distinct characteristics.
Cacao refers to the raw and less processed version of the seed from the cacao tree. It is typically cold-pressed to preserve its natural enzymes, antioxidants, and nutrients. Cacao nibs and powder have a slightly bitter and earthy flavor, making them popular in health-conscious recipes.
Cocoa, on the other hand, is cacao that has been roasted"

 

What is the etymology of cocoa and cacao?

"The word cacao comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word "cacahuatl," which means "cocoa bean". The cacao tree is native to Central and South America, and its cultivation dates back to at least 1500 BCE among the Mayans and Aztecs.
The word cocoa, on the other hand, is actually a corruption of "cacao" that emerged in English around the 18th century. The confusion likely arose due to the similarity between "cacao" and "coco" (which refers to the coconut), and the mistake was reinforced when dictionary printers accidentally merged the entries for "cocoa" and "coco". By the early 1800s, "cocoa" had become the standard spelling.
So, while "cacao" is the original term, "cocoa" became the more commonly used word in English, especially when referring to processed products like cocoa powder.

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Now for the important news on chocolate science from Harvard's School of Public Health:

Eating dark chocolate linked with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes By Maya Brownstein 

"Our findings suggest that not all chocolate is created equal,” said lead author Binkai Liu, doctoral student at the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, studying in the Harvard Chan School Department of Nutrition. “For anyone who loves chocolate, this is a reminder that making small choices, like choosing dark chocolate over milk chocolate, can make a positive difference to their health.”

The study was published online Dec. 4 in The BMJ.