Cocoa is theseed of thecacao tree. The seed contains a lot offat and is used to producecocoa butter. Cocoa butter is then used to producechocolate. The cocoa which is used to make chocolate is a fine powder.
Chocolate and cocoa are made from thebeans of the cacao tree. The tree might have first come from the foothills of theAndes Mountains near theAmazon River and theOrinoco River inSouth America. The tree was brought toCentral America by the ancientMayas, and was grown inMexico by theToltecs and later by theAztecs.
Cocoa was an importantproduct inPre-ColumbianMesoamerica. People who told the story of theconquest ofMexico byHernán Cortés said that whenMoctezuma II, emperor of theAztecs, ate dinner he took no otherdrink thanchocolate, served in agoldengoblet and eaten with a goldenspoon. Flavored withvanilla andspices, his chocolate was whipped into afroth that dissolved in the mouth. No less than 50 pitchers of the drink were prepared for the emperor each day, and 2000 more for nobles of his court.
Chocolate was brought toEurope by theSpaniards and became a popular drink by1700. They also brought the cacao tree to theWest Indies and thePhilippines. It was used inalchemical processes, where it was known as Black Bean.
The cacao plant was first given its name bySwedish naturalscientistCarl von Linné (1707-1778), who called it "theobroma cacao" or "food of the gods".
Apod has a roughleatheryrind about 3 cm (1¼ inch) thick. It is filled with slimy pinkishpulp, sweet but inedible, enclosing from 30 to 50 largealmond-likeseeds or "beans" that are fairlysoft and pinkish or purplish in color. As soon as they ripen, the pods are removed with a curvedknife on a longpole, opened with amachete, and left to dry until taken tofermentation.
Then the beans are removed and piled in heaps, bins, or ongrates where, during several days of "sweating", the thick pulp ferments until it thins and trickles off. The quality of the beans, which originally have a strong bitter taste, depends upon this sweating. If it is overdone they may be ruined; if underdone they have a flavor like rawpotatoes and are susceptible tomildew.
Then the beans are spread out, constantlyraked over, and dried. On largeplantations this is done on huge trays, either outdoors by sunshine or insheds by artificial heat. However, thousands oftons from smaller producers are dried on small trays or oncowhides. Finally, the beans are trodden and shuffled about (often using bare human feet) and sometimes, during this process redclay mixed withwater is sprinkled over the beans to obtain a finer color, polish, and protection against molds during shipment to factories in theUnited States, theNetherlands,United Kingdom, and other countries. About 3,000,000tonnes of cocoa are grown each year. The Netherlands is the leading cocoa processing country, followed by the U.S.
Uses of cocoa are numerous. It may be used in cakes, creams, drinks, toppings and cookies.
Besides its use as a food, by use of the scientific process it has been determined that cocoa is beneficial for health. Cocoa has nearly twice the anti-cancerantioxidants of redwine, and up to three times those found ingreen tea.[1]
