Native to Mexico, the dahlia is related to the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. Once a major food crop grown by the Aztecs for their tubers, dahlia cultivation died out after the Spanish Conquest. Today the dahlia is still considered one of the signature native ingredients in Oaxacan cuisine; several cultivars are still grown especially for their large, sweet potato-like tubers. Dacopa, an intense mocha-tasting extract from the roasted tubers, is used to flavor beverages throughout Central America. In Europe and America, prior to the discovery of insulin in 1923, diabetics—as well as consumptives—were often given a substance called Atlantic starch or diabetic sugar, derived from inulin, a naturally occurring form of fruit sugar, extracted from dahlia tubers.