Here are a few fun facts about cacao we learned from Koa on our chocolate farm tour in Kauai:
About the cocoa seed:
- The cocoa seed or bean is about 50% fat, 7% protein and the rest is carbohydrate
- Cacao, or cocoa as it’s otherwise known, contains 400 chemical compounds including flavanols, trace minerals like copper, zinc, manganese and magnesium. It’s truly a superfood with antioxidant properties
- Like cheese or wine, the seeds can be aged, in this case for up to five years, which mellows out the flavor making it less bitter
About growing cacao:
- A midge, that likes to hang around banana plants, pollinates the cacao flower so you’ll always find cacao trees planted with bananas
- What’s more banana trees are a nitrogen fixer and offer shade to the cacao tree
- 60% of the world’s cacao is grown in West Africa, the next leading producers are Indonesia, Venezuela and Madagascar
About making chocolate:
- There are three stages and associated experts in making chocolate: the cacao grower, the maker (who ferments and roasts the seeds), and the chocolatier
- Industrial chocolate makers like Nestle, buy their seeds already roasted and therefore don’t control the fermentation process which can affect the end result
- 400 dried and roasted seeds will make about a 1lb of chocolate
- In case you didn’t realize that most commercial chocolate contains soy, check the label next time you grab a bar and you’ll likely see soy lecithin listed. It’s added to help with emulsification, increase the shelf life and prevent that white bloom that happens when the cacao butter separates out (usually due to a temperate change)
- White chocolate is made only with cocoa butter and doesn’t have any of the health benefits of dark chocolate
- Many commercial chocolatiers, including Green and Blacks, add extra cocoa butter which can make for a more chewy mouthful of chocolate. You’ll decide if you like it
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