Have you ever marvelled where does tasty chocolate come from? If so you're going to enjoy this article. Ensure you have some chocolate near by to enjoy for when you are done reading.
The delicious treat you're possibly partaking of today, maybe a dark chocolate cluster, fundamentally came from a tree. Yes it came from a tree, a tropical tree known as Theobroma cacao or in lay mans term known to be cacao. The cacao trees are essentially found in limp tropical areas like Central and South America but about 70% of the planet's cacao beans are commercially cultured throughout the tropics of Africa.
A fragile tree, which is greatly dependent on the background heat and humidity, is able to produce at least 2000 pods every year. It creates a football shaped pod, the cacao fruit, which is bizarrely seen growing out of its trunk. The cacao fruit matures throughout the season and sheathes a sticky white pulp that contains thirty to 40 seeds.
This odd shape thingamajig within the cacao fruit is strictly speaking a nut however it is widely known across the globe as cocoa beans, cocoa seeds, chocolate beans or chocolate seeds. The fruit of this tree should not be eaten straight out of the pod for it has this extremely bitter flavour which is not like the sweet and scrumptious chocolaty taste of chocolate.
Therefore how do these beans become the indulgence of plenty of folk? First, The cacao fruits are opened and the pulp and seeds are then placed in containers. This might be performed by farmers, plantation workers, or in big cocoa factories by machines.
The cacao beans are then transferred to wooden crates or baskets with banana leaves between and on top to enable an optimum fermentation. The duration of the fermentation is from two to over 7 days. The length of the fermentation also has effects on the smell, so if well-developed aroma is wanted the beans go thru fermentation for a longer time.
The fermentation process transforms the flavour to what we all know as cocoa and chocolate. Without the fermentation process chocolate as we all know it would not exist. Go fermentation!!!
When the fermentation is finished the cacao beans are sun-dried. At this stage the smell of cocoa can be experienced. In tiny plantations the fermented beans are spread by hand, and later turned over by hand or foot. On larger plantations electric dryers are employed.
The drying process takes 1-2 weeks, and during that period the colour changes from red brown to dark brown. A machine is then used to get an enhanced visual appearance that polishes the beans. Formerly, dancing the cacao beans polished the beans ; the dancers polished the beans with their feet in a dance-like demeanour.
The cacao beans are then packed for export to cocoa and chocolate makers. Once the manufacturers receive the beans, before making chocolate, the beans are roasted to develop the final chocolate flavor. Eventually the shells are removed ( "winnowed" ) from the roasted beans, and the beans are prepared for making chocolate paste, cocoa, cocoa butter and chocolate.
Now you know where chocolate comes from. Tune into our next article where we discuss the several ways artists, chocolatiers and cooks from around the world are using chocolate in their delicious creations.
