Where does chocolate come from?
Where does chocolate come from?
Where does milk chocolate come from? Actually, chocolate DOES grow on trees. It all starts with a small tropical tree, the Theobroma cacao, usually called simply, "cacao." (Pronounced ka-KOW. Theobroma is Greek for "food of the gods.") Cacao is native to Central and South America, but it is grown commercially throughout the tropics. About 70% of the world's cacao is grown in Africa.
A cacao tree can produce close to two thousand pods per year. The ridged, football shaped pod, or fruit, of the cacao grows from the branches and, oddly, straight out of the trunk. The pods, which mature throughout the year, encase a sticky white pulp and about 30 or 40 seeds. The pulp is both sweet and tart; it is eaten and used in making drinks. The seeds, were you to bite into one straight out of the pod, are incredibly bitter. Not at all like the chocolate that comes from them.
The chocolate that we eat or use in desserts is the product of a long and delicate process that starts with the cacao tree. This marvelous tree grows in humid, tropical regions, south of the equator. This zone is called "the cacao belt." The ideal altitude for a good plantation is between 400 and 600 meters (1300 and 1970 feet).
The cacao tree, also called the cacao palm and the chocolate tree, is very fragile and highly dependent on the ambient heat and humidity. It often grows in the shade provided by other trees, such as the banana, which are taller and more robust. The fruit of the cacao tree, called a pod, presents a rather startling appearance, as it grows right on the tree trunk. A pod weighs between 200 and 800 grams (7 to 27 ounces) and takes 5 to 6 months to arrive at maturity.
Chocolate is made from cocoa powder, which is derived from the large fruits of the cacao tree (Latin name: theobroma cacao, which means "food of the gods."). The cacao tree is native to central America, although it also grows in South America, Africa and has spread to parts of Indonesia. The cacao tree produces a large fruit that's about the size of a small pineapple. Its the insides of this fruit that the important parts are found, being the seeds, which are also known as cocoa beans.