Fatty seed of Theobroma cacao which is the basis of chocolate
For other uses of "Cacao", see Cacao (disambiguation).
Forms of the cocoa bean during production
Pods at various stages of ripening
Beans in pulp in freshly cut pod
Beans: In pulp, in skin, and naked
Roasted nibs (pieces of kernels) are generally powdered and melted into chocolate liquor, but also inserted into chocolate bars to give additional "crunch".
The cocoa bean (technically cocoa seed) or simply cocoa (/ˈkoʊ.koʊ/), also called cacao (/kəˈkaʊ/),[1] is the dried and fully fermented seed of Theobroma cacao, the cacao tree, from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substances) and cocoa butter (the fat) can be extracted. Cocoa trees are native to the Amazon rainforest. They are the basis of chocolate and Mesoamerican foods including tejate, an indigenous Mexican drink.
The cacao tree was first domesticated at least 5,300 years ago by the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in South America, before it was introduced in Mesoamerica.[2] Cacao was consumed by pre-Hispanic cultures in spiritual ceremonies and its beans were a common currency in Mesoamerica. The cacao tree grows in a limited geographical zone; today, West Africa produces nearly 81% of the world's crop. The three main varieties of cocoa plant are Forastero, Criollo, and Trinitario; Forastero is the most widely used.
In 2020, global cocoa bean production reached 5.8 million tonnes, with Ivory Coast leading at 38% of the total, followed by Ghana and Indonesia. Cocoa beans, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder are traded on futures markets, with London focusing on West African cocoa and New York on Southeast Asian cocoa. Various international and national initiatives aim to support sustainable cocoa production, including the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa (SWISSCO), the German Initiative on Sustainable Cocoa (GISCO), and Belgium's Beyond Chocolate. At least 29% of global cocoa production was compliant with voluntary sustainability standards in 2016. Deforestation due to cocoa production remains a concern, especially in West Africa. Sustainable agricultural practices, such as agroforestry, can support cocoa production while conserving biodiversity. Cocoa contributes significantly to economies such as Nigeria's, and demand for cocoa products continues to grow steadily at over 3% annually since 2008.
To produce 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of chocolate, around 300 to 600 cocoa beans are processed. The beans are roasted, cracked, and deshelled, resulting in pieces called nibs, which are ground into a thick paste known as chocolate liquor or cocoa paste. The liquor is processed into chocolate by adding cocoa butter, sugar, and sometimes vanilla and lecithin. Alternatively, cocoa powder and cocoa butter can be separated using a hydraulic press or the Broma process. Treating cocoa with an alkali produces Dutch process cocoa, which has a different flavor profile than untreated cocoa. Roasting can also be done on the whole bean or nib, affecting the final flavor. Cocoa contains phytochemicals like flavanols, procyanidins, and other flavonoids, and flavanol-rich chocolate and cocoa products may have a small blood pressure lowering effect. The beans also contain theobromine and a small amount of caffeine. The tree takes five years to grow and has a typical lifespan of 100 years.
^"Cacao". Free Dictionary. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
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begins with the extraction of cocoa powder from the cocoabean. These cocoabeans are harvested from cocoa trees and are left to dry for about ten days before...
form Cocoa butter – Pale-yellow, edible fat extracted from the cocoabeanCocoa solids – Mixture remaining after cocoa butter is extracted from cocoa beans...
temperature (25 °C (77 °F)) because the melting point of cocoa butter, the only white cocoabean component, is 35 °C (95 °F). Like the other two main types...
production and export of the cocoabeans used in the manufacture of chocolate, as of 2012[update], supplying 38% of cocoa produced in the world. West Africa...
from which cocoa and chocolate are made, from Spanish cacao, an adaptation of Nahuatl cacaua, the root form of cacahuatl ("bean of the cocoa-tree"). It...
chocolate. About 54–58% of the cocoa nibs is cocoa butter. Raw chocolate contains cocoa solids and cocoa butter, from the cacao beans. Dark chocolates' high caffeine...
at a cocoabean casing, they're actually sort of pink and purple when you see photographs of them. So actually the natural colour for a cocoabean can...
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one of Cortés' officers saw him drinking "chocolatl" (made of powdered cocoabeans and ground corn flavored with ground vanilla pods and honey). The Spanish...
fat from cocoabeans by hydraulic press around 1828, forming the basis for cocoa powder. These developments greatly expanded the use of cocoa, and reduced...
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slighter resemblances, such as coffee beans, vanilla beans, castor beans, and cocoabeans. Thus the term "bean" in general usage can refer to a host of...
hand over their valuables, Cortés returned to Spain in 1528, bringing cocoabeans and chocolate drink making equipment with them. At this time, chocolate...
issue in cocoa production. Cote d’Ivoire (also known in English as Ivory Coast) and Ghana, together produce nearly 60% of the world's cocoa each year...
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four centuries ago. Since then the Philippine cocoa industry has been the primary producer of cocoabeans in Southeast Asia. There are many areas of production...
especially on the island of Upolu, where German firms monopolised copra and cocoabean processing. The United States laid its own claim, based on commercial...
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