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From the tree to cocoa
Chocolate tree
Chocolate is produced by beans from a cocoa tree. The cocoa plantations are situated in
equatorial and subequatorial regions (between 20° north latitude and 20° south latitude).
This area is called the cocoa belt. Countries producing cocoa are Equator, Brazil, Ivory Coast,
Ghana, Cameroon, Malaysia, Indonesia and Venezuela.
The cocoa tree is a vulnerable tree that needs shade to grow next to a warm and humid climate.
The shade comes from bigger trees such as banana trees or palm trees. They are called “madres del
cocoa”. A special feature are the pale and pink flowers (small and without perfume).
The tree can easily grow to a height of 5 metres. He produces 30 to 60 pods a year. The first
harvest takes place after 3 years. At an age of 10, the tree reaches its optimal quality, which
deteriorates after 25 years.
Out of the thousand little flowers grow pods in different colours. They are oval-shaped and
hang on the big branches or the trunk of the tree. They have an average length of 15 to 30 cm
and a width of 10 to 15 cm and weigh approximately 500g. The 30 to 40 beans inside the pod are
surrounded with white soft pulp.
The pod
Harvest takes place during spring and fall. Once ripe, they are cut from the trees with a
machete. A few days later, they are cut open in order to remove the husk which makes the beans
visible. The beans are surrounded with white pulp, they are hard , of a purple colour and taste
very bitter.
The official name of the bean is Theobroma cocoa. Theobroma means: food of the Gods.
The composition of fresh beans is as follows: 50% of cocoa butter and the other half contains
water, different tannins, caffeine, theobromine, various sugars, proteins, minerals and salts,
fibres, polyphenol and oligo elements. Drying the bean reduces its weight from 2,5 to 1 gr.
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