Cocoa was an important commodity in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Spanish chroniclers of the conquest of Mexico by Hernan Cortes relate that when Montezuma II, emperor of the Aztecs, dined he took no other beverage than chocolate, served in a golden goblet and eaten with a golden spoon. Flavoured with vanilla and spices, his chocolate was whipped into a froth that dissolved in the mouth. No less than 50 pitchers of it were prepared for the emperor each day, and 2,000 more for nobles of his court.
Chocolate was introduced to Europe by the Spaniards and became a popular beverage by 1700. They also introduced the cocoa tree into the West Indies and the Philippines. The cocoa plant was first given its name by Swedish natural scientist Carl von Linne (Latinized in scientific publications as Carolus Linnaeus), 1707-1778, who called it "Theobroma cacao" or "food of the gods".
The use of chocolate, cocoa and related products is world-wide. The United Kingdom has the highest per capita consumption of cocoa at 10 kg, 20 times the world-wide average, with Belgium second at 5.5 kg. Prices for the commodity reached a five-year high in November 2004; this is because exports from Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) were cut due to escalating violence in the region.
The world's leading producers of cocoa in descending order are: Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, Cameroon and Ecuador. World production in 2004 was 3.6 million tonnes.
The cocoa fruit is called a pod. Each pod has a rough leathery rind about 3 cm thick and is filled with sweet, slimy pulp, enclosing from 30 to 50 large almond-like seeds or "beans" that are fairly soft and pinkish or purplish in colour. As soon as the pods are ripe, they are harvested from the trunks or branches of the cocoa tree with a curved knife on a long pole.
Processing
The harvested pods are then opened with a machete, the pulp and cocoa beans are removed and the rind is discarded. The pulp and beans are then either piled in heaps, placed in bins, or laid out on grates for several days. During this time, the beans and pulp undergoes "sweating", where the thick pulp liquifies as it undergoes fermentation.
The fermented pulp trickles away, leaving cocoa beans behind to be collected. The quality of the beans, which originally have a strong bitter taste, depends upon sweating. If it is overdone, the resulting cocoa may be ruined; if underdone the cocoa seed maintains a flavour similar to raw potatoes and become susceptible to mildew. The liquified pulp is used by some cocoa producing countries to distill alcoholic spirits.
The fermented beans are then dried by spreading them out over a large surface and constantly raking them. This is done on trays under the sun or by using artificial heat. Finally, the beans are trodden and shuffled about and sometimes, during this process, red clay mixed with water is sprinkled over the beans to obtain a finer colour, polish, and protection against moulds during shipment to factories in the United States, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and other countries. About 3 million tonnes of cocoa are grown each year. The Netherlands is the leading cocoa processing country, followed by the United States.
Chocolate
To make 1 kg of chocolate, about 300 to 600 beans are processed. In a factory, the beans are washed and roasted. Next, they are de-hulled by a "nibber" machine that also removes the germ. The nibs are ground between three sets of stones until they emerge as a thick creamy paste. Cocoa powder is made from this "liquor" by removing part of its fatty oils (the "cocoa butter" used in confectionery, soaps, and cosmetics), either with a hydraulic press or by using the Broma process. With starch and sugar added, the liquor is churned and beaten in a "Conges" machine to produce sweet chocolate.
Adding an alkali produces Dutch process cocoa powder, which has less acidity and is what is generally available in most of the world. Regular or nonalkalized cocoa is lighter in colour and sharper in flavour. It is acidic, so when added to recipes with an alkaline ingredient like baking soda, the two react and leaven a product. Dutch processed cocoa is less acidic, darker and more mellow in flavour.
The uses of cocoa are numerous. It may be used in cakes, creams, drinks and toppings. Cocoa has about twice the antioxidants (thought to prevent cancer) of red wine, and up to three times those found in green tea.
For more information, click on the links below:
The Food of the Gods
International Cocoa Organization
Malaysian Cocoa Board
Chocopaedia
Lindt
Hauswirth
Easter Bunny Chocolate
Copyright 2003-2006 Azlan Adnan Legal Notice
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