All about cocoa; From history to benefits

All about cocoa; from history to benefits

When it comes to cocoa, we all remember the delicious taste of cocoa powder. You may ask the question as to what is the origin of cocoa? What is the difference between coca and chocolate?

Cacao, also known as Theobroma cacao, is a tropical evergreen tree native to South America and is cultivated for its seeds, commonly called cocoa beans, used to make cocoa powder, chocolate, and other chocolate-based products. Cacao has been used by indigenous South Americans for centuries, now a major commodity in the global economy with countries such as Ivory Coast, Ghana and Indonesia being some of the largest producers. In this article, we will discuss the history, production and use of cocoa.

This magical food consumed on our best days, has a special place in our lives since more than two thousand years ago. The term “theobroma cacao” means food for the gods.

The story of chocolate is a unique story starting from the depths of tropical forests, to the ancient religious rituals of the Aztecs, to the fascination of European royal families, and from there to our modern lives, a journey full of mystery, magic and art.

The roots of the cocoa tree are in the tropical forests as part of human culture for more than two thousand years. Central American Maya and Aztecs cultivated cocoa much before the Europeans enter the US. It was the Maya who first crushed cocoa beans and invented a drink used in the court and religious rituals. Later, Aztecs called the name of the beverage made from cocoa beans, “chocolate” meaning “the hot drink”.

In mid seventeenth century, those financially capable could drink chocolate throughout Europe. “Chocolate Homes” in the UK were among the popular social circles where chocolate was consumed, and people believed it was very healthy.

The first chocolate factory in the United States was founded in 1765. And until the 19th century, chocolate was generally a drink. With the advancement of technology in the nineteenth century solid chocolate was produced, and Switzerland added chocolate to milk powder to invent solid packed fudge. In 19th century, mass production made chocolate available to everyone.

Today, the US Army includes chocolate in soldiers’ food quota and uses it also in astronauts’ diet.

The story of chocolate starts with cocoa seeds, the cocoa tree fruit. The cocoa tree is a tropical plant growing only in a warm and rainy climate. Cocoa grows only 20 degrees north and south of the equator. This delicate tree needs to be protected against light and direct wind for growth and is usually planted under the shade of taller trees. A cocoa tree reaches approximately 4.5 to 7.5 meters in its full maturity.

Cocoa Tree

Pink and white flowers bloom on the main trunk of the cocoa tree. Of the thousands of flowers you grow in each tree, less than ten percent fruits. These oval fruits contain seeds that turn later to cocoa seeds. The fruits grow exactly on the main trunk and large branches. At first they are green or red and ripe cocoa fruits are golden or orange.

Cocoa fruit

Farmers work through sustainable agricultural for planting and harvesting cocoa. The main beauty of the work is that in addition to the economic benefit, these techniques create a friendly environment for wildlife in the region, including indigenous and immigrant species. Biological diversity in cocoa cultivation is one of the most important aspects. Biodiversity this way yields more crops for the farmer.

Almost the entire cocoa plantation in the world happens in small fields. Less than five percent come from large farms, hundreds of trees planted together. Agriculture in such a scale places the trees against direct sunlight exposing trees to diseases and pests, thereby requiring expensive pesticides. The Cocoa World Foundation supports sustainable cocoa production and producers around the world. In West Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, the foundation teaches farmers efficient ways of producing quality cocoa production in a sustainable way to reduce plant diseases and pests in the trees, increased production quality and more income.

In family farmlands around the world, like previous generations, farmers cultivate cocoa fruits. Using a large knife, they separate the fruits from each tree. Experienced farmers are definitely recognizing ripe cocoa from its color. Cocoa fruits arrive throughout the year because the fruit grows mostly is in the equator. After harvesting, the fruits open and come out of each of the fifty yellow seeds each with a gelatin like sugary pulp. They are then filled in sacks. The seeds and pulp are poured into a place for five days to ferment. Seeds undergo make biochemical changes in these five days, their taste changes, their bitterness increases and the yellow seeds turn brown. After the fermentation, the cocoa fruit seeds take on the familiar taste of cocoa. To maintain cocoa seeds, just like other juicy fruits, they must dry them. They spread the cocoa on mats for a week. This can be done on a farm or in a factory. Dried seeds, now called raw cocoa, are then packed and sent to the market, for chocolate factories around the world.

At the chocolate factory, cocoa seeds are inspected and approved by quality control experts. All raw materials must be tested before entering the production line to ensure high quality production.

Quality control continues with chocolate sampling during production. When passing through inspection, cocoa seeds are cleaned and crushed to gain their true taste. Cocoa seeds are roasted in large cylindrical devices from 30 minutes to 2 hours. This controlled heat turns the seeds brown and improve their taste and smell. As soon as the roasted grains are cooled, another device removes the shell of the seeds to keep the core. These detailed cores are called nibs or chopped kernels and are sent to the mill, where they crush them using steel mill stones. Under pressure and friction they add water to the shells and produce a glossy fluid product.

Factories use this liquid in the production of chocolate or cocoa. To produce cocoa powder, the chocolate fluid is sent into massive hydraulic pressure devices that put 6,000 pounds per square inch. This severe pressure produces cocoa butter, which is drained through filters. They use cocoa butter in chocolate production. They cool the compact and then crush and sift it to extract cocoa powder. This powder is used in producing milk, chocolate syrup, ice cream, pastry, and other chocolate products.

Chocolate production requires the exact composition of different components in chocolate fluid: milk for producing dairy chocolate, sugar for sweetening chocolate fluid, chocolate butter for better, smoother and softer surface (obtained from soybean to make chocolate lubrication and easier molding). The chocolate composition is eventually crushed and refined by several rollers.

Quenching is a flavoring method that can take a few hours to several days depending on the desired result. In this method, heavy rollers rotate regularly into the machine and cook the chocolate to improve its taste and give it a velvety and soft texture. After the quenching, they stir the mixture and lower the temperature to feed the chocolate fluid into the molds or use it to cover biscuits and nuts. Then chocolate bars or chocolate covered nuts are placed in the cooling cavity and then packed pack and transferred to distributors and retailers.

What does cocoa taste like?

Cocoa has a rich and bitter taste. The pure cocoa derived directly from cocoa tree fruit has a bitter taste. This bitterness is directly related to the type of cocoa tree as well as its growth conditions. This means that the crops of some cocoa trees have a higher percentage of bitterness and others have a lower percentage. They have recently reformed some natural tree races to low the bitterness of fruits.

To make chocolate from cocoa, they sauté the seeds and then grind and mix them with sugar and sometimes milk, to create a smooth, creamy product.

How to make cocoa

After picking the cocoa seeds, they put them in certain packages. After about seven days, cocoa seeds completely change color and turn brown. It would be then time to roast the seeds. Roasting can have a very important impact on cocoa taste.

Infographic of chocolate process from cocoa

After roasting, seeds should be well ground to obtain powder. In the past, instead of using advanced devices to grind cocoa seeds, they used simple tools such as mortar. After converting cocoa seeds into cocoa powder, they put them in new packages for export.

Cocoa is the seed of the cocoa tree, while chocolate is a processed food product made from cocoa and milled and mixed with sugar and sometimes milk.

Infographic of chocolate process from cocoa

What is the difference between chocolate and cocoa?

In general, chocolate is a cocoa by product. In fact, they need cocoa powder to make chocolate. The bitterness of the chocolate depends on bitter cocoa powder as well as its use in chocolate. For example, in all kinds of chocolates, such as milk chocolate, with a very sweet taste, very little cocoa powder is used. Most of the bitter chocolate turns to cocoa powder.

What is the difference between coffee and cocoa?

Coffee and cocoa are two different plants and their seeds are used to make two different drinks.

Coffee is made from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant native to African tropical regions. The seeds are ground to make coffee, a popular drink worldwide for its caffeine.

But cocoa is derived from fermented, dried and roasted cocoa tree seeds, native to the Amazon area. Seeds are harvested to make cocoa powder and chocolate. Cocoa is a key substance in many desserts and pastries and is famous for its rich chocolate taste.

In short, coffee and cocoa come from different plants, are processed differently, and have different flavors and applications.

Cocoa is rich in antioxidants, flavonoids and minerals such as magnesium, iron and potassium, which make it useful for heart health, reduce inflammation and improve overall health.

Benefits of cocoa

Because of its warm nature cocoa is a common choice to increase body immunity from diseases like common cold. Many doctors believe that taking some cocoa daily can reduce depression. However, cocoa helps you get more oxygen to your respiratory system while exercising.

It is interesting to know that cocoa can even improve certain diseases such as diarrhea and constipation. The reason is the fiber in cocoa powder. The cocoa in cases such as chocolate can also help you lose weight, but it only happened when chocolate does not have a high level of sugar.

Cocoa improves metabolism and reduces the possibility of gastrointestinal problems. Various studies show that coca can help people prevent very dangerous cancers such as prostate cancer.

Cocoa Milk is a healthy drink that combines the benefits of cocoa with the nutrients in milk (protein, calcium, vitamins) as a rich and useful drink for the heart.

What are the benefits of cocoa milk?

Cocoa milk contains a variety of vitamins such as vitamins A, B and D. It also has a good amount of potassium. It can thus be said that cocoa milk is a great choice for improved growth in adolescents.

Conclusion

Cocoa has a very long history with its use dating back to ancient Mexico. Today, cocoa powder is used to make different things including chocolate. In order to make cocoa powder, cocoa tree seeds should be used in certain conditions. A good tree cultivates a delicious cocoa fruit.

Aghai

October 18, 2023

cocoa

All about cocoa; From history to benefits