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Curious about the origin of Coca-Cola's name? It comes from the bitter kola plant, which has been cherished in traditional African medicine and was once a key ingredient in the beverage's early recipes!

Also known as "bitter cola" or "Garcinia Kola," bitter kola comes from West and Central Africa, where it has been cherished in traditional African herbal medicine for centuries! These days, it might be more famous as the original flavoring for Coca-Cola: some of the earliest recipes for this beloved drink included bitter kola extract! Inside its orange-sized fruit, you'll find a yellow pulp that wraps around four seeds. Although the fruits can be eaten, they're incredibly sour, so folks usually gather the seeds instead. When eaten raw, the seeds have a bitter, wonderfully aromatic taste, kind of like a raw coffee bean, with a sweet and peppery finish! Once the pulp loses its flavor, you just spit it out. Bitter kola isn't really consumed as food but is sought after for its numerous health benefits. Packed with impressive nutrients, bitter kola is thought to be rich in calcium, vitamin C, and iron, and it might help with inflammation and diabetes.