Origins of chocolate (Growing the cocoa beans)

In this section we will explain where chocolate comes from, how it is made and we will outline a brief history of chocolate diffusion in the world.

Origins of chocolate – the cocoa tree

The main ingredient for chocolate is cocoa, which is extracted from the beans of cocoa trees. Cocoa trees resemble apple trees in shape, and can grow to up 7 metres. The cocoa tree starts bearing fruit when it is about 3 years old, and the fruits are attached to the trunk. The cocoa tree needs to be in the shade and it needs a warm and humid climate, this is why it grows only in tropical areas where it rains a lot and the temperature is always between 21 and 23 degrees Celsius.

Cocoa fruits are pods, which contain cocoa seeds and it is from these seeds that cocoa is extracted. Cocoa pods are about 20-30 cm long and are oval; each cocoa pod can contain about 30-40 seeds that produce about 450 grams of cocoa.

The are three main types of cocoa:

• Forastero: this forms the biggest part of the cocoa produced in the world. Forastero cocoa trees are quite robust and their seeds give a cocoa with a strong flavour.
• Criollo: Criollo trees are more delicate than Forastero trees and produce a milder tasting cocoa.
• Trinitario: Trinitario cocoa trees do not grow in the wild, because they are hybrids of the other two types. They are mainly grown in Cameron, the Caribbean and Papua New Guinea.

Origins of chocolate – areas where cocoa trees grow

The best areas to grow cocoa are located within 10 degrees either north or south from the Equator. Although cocoa originates from the Amazon basin, in Central America, now it grows in many equatorial countries all over the world. Countries that produce cocoa are some African countries, South and Central American countries and also some Asian countries. Some of the world’s biggest cocoa producers are Ghana, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Brazil, Ecuador, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Part 2 - CHOCOLATE PRODUCTION