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Also known as- Theobroma cacao, Cocoa beans, Cocoa pods, and Cacao. When you cuddle up with a steaming cup of hot cocoa during these chilly fall days, you might be pondering where chocolate comes from. Chocolate comes to us courtesy of the cacao plant (pronounced ca-cow), Theobroma cacao. The name Theobroma is an appropriate one as its translation is "food of the gods." The plant is believed to have originated in the Amazon area of South America at least 4,000 years ago. The Aztecs and other native groups made a bitter tasting drink from the roasted beans. The Incas also used the seeds as currency. Most of today's commercial production is in eastern Brazil in South America and the Ivory Coast and other countries of Africa.
Cacoa is an evergreen tree that grows up to 40 feet in height and is hardy only in moist, tropical climates. Each cacao plant produces 60-70 pods, which mature in about six months from bloom. The pods resemble an elongated acorn squash, about 10-14 inches long.
Each pod yields 20-40 white seeds (beans), which are fermented for several days until they develop a brown color and the chocolate flavor. The beans are then dried and shipped to processing plants. Here, the beans are cleaned, roasted and ground into a thick, dark-colored paste. This paste is the base for all chocolate and cocoa products.
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Parts Used
Beans, either whole or broken into nibs
Typical Preparations
Eaten raw-as is, or roasted, brewed, and powdered into tea. Used abundantly in food and other consumables. Sometimes found in extract form.
Precautions
Anyone with a sensitivity to chocolate should avoid eating cacao beans or nibs. The active polyphenols and other substances in cacao can trigger migraines and cause other allergic reactions in sensitive people.
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