What is the melting point of cocoa butter?

93° F to 100° F (34° to 38° Celsius). Cocoa butter, the fat extracted from the cacao bean, is used in cooking/baking, cosmetics and toiletries.

  How long can the average cacao pod grow?

The average cocoa pod grows six to twelve inches in length.

  Central America Cocoa Farms

The Ngobe Indian people of western Panama in Central America are returning back to their roots! For centuries, the people of Central America grew, harvested and indulged their own chocolate beverages. In the 1990's, they moved away from growing and harvesting cacao due to poor prices and a fungus infestation. With a global upswing in chocolate consumption, the indigenous people are reviving their cacao plantations.

Like other cacao growing regions, cooperatives are being established allowing growers to secure proper prices and profits for their beans as well as manage the relationships with buyers. As more chocolate manufacturers look for fair trade products, Central America as an edge over the Ivory Coast, the largest cacao grower in the world, which has been tied to child-slave labor. The native people of Central America work their own plantations thus removing the child-slave labor stigma.

  Which country is the #1 producer of Criollo cacao beans?

Answer: Venezuela

An estimated two to five percent of cacao trees around the globe yield Criollo beans, the prized cacao bean among true cocoa connoisseurs and artisan chocolatiers. Classified as a Grand Cru for its light, aromatic flavor, less that 10% of the chocolate produced in the world is made with Criollo beans.

Beginning in the 1500's, Venezuela cornered the market on Criollo production. By the 17th century, Venezuela was the largest producer and exporter of the prized beans. Venezuela's reign was soon interrupted due to war, recession, greed and weather damage. The Criollo tree is small in stature and yields small batches of beans. With the average Trinitaro or Forastero cacao pod containing 20-40 beans each, the Criollo trees require more effort to generate the same output as their less flavorful cacao bean relatives. By the 20th century, cacao beans were sold per kilo regardless of the bean type. Small cacao farmers opted to remove the fragile Criollo trees from their plantations in favor of Trinitaro or Forastero trees which have greater yields and would generate revenue faster than the Criollo.

Venezuela now maintains an estimated 0.5 percent of the markets overall cacao production. Although Venezuela's market share is small, it is known for the fine quality of the beans produced. Ocumare, Choroni and Chuao, all Criollo types, are again sought after by many in the confection industry.

Interested in a Venezuelan Hot Chocolate? Try Chuao Spicy Maya Hot Chocolate

  Christopher Columbus

Sponsored by King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain, Christopher Columbus set sail on May 9th, 1502, on his fourth and last voyage to discover India. Instead, the Italian explorer arrived on the island of Guanaja located just off the coast of Honduras. During this exploration, Christopher Columbus came across the cacao beans by way of the local population, the Maya Indians, on August 15, 1502. Unaware of the true significance of the cacao bean and initially thought to be almonds, Mr. Columbus returned to Spain with his plunder of precious metals, exquisite jewelry and cacao beans. Unfortunately, the significance of cacao didn't catch fire with the Spanish court like the other decorative pieces Christopher Columbus delivered to his sponsors.

Resources:

1. Stanes, Sara Jayne. Chocolate. New York: Ryland, Peters & Small, 2005
2. "Cocoa Beans Discovered." Chocolate-History.co.uk. Chocolate - the Story of Chocolate.
3. "Christopher Columbus." Enchantedlearning.com.

  Cocoa Definitions

Do you know the differences between Cocoa, Cacao, Hot Cocoa, Hot Chocolate and Drinking Chocolate? The majority of us do not, so here are a few definitions to provide some clarity:

Cacao ~
Cacao is classified as a small (12-24 ft) evergreen tree from the Sterculiaceae family (or Malvaceae family). Grown in tropical environments for its seeds, the tree is indigenous to Mexico. The Cacao seeds are used to make cocoa and chocolate.

In 1753, Carolus Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist and taxonomist known as the creator of the binominal system of nomenclature and hierarchical system of classification of plants and animals, classified "Cacao" as Theobroma cacao. Theobroma is Greek for "food of the gods", while Cacao is believed to be from the Mixe-Zoque languages. The Mixe-Zoque languages are a family of languages spoken around the Mesoamerica (Mexico) region of modern day Oaxaca, Chiapas, Tabasco and Vera Cruz.

Cocoa ~
According to www.thefreedictionary.com, Cocoa is defined as ground, roasted cacao beans with most of the fat (cocoa butter) removed to form a powder. In real-life, a few more steps take place after the cocoa butter is extracted, but this simplified definition is helpful to many. Unfortunately in the United States, many people use "Cocoa" and "Chocolate" interchangeably which can be quite confusing?

Two types of cocoa powder exist: Natural cocoa powder, which is acidic, and Dutch-Processed, which is alkalized. Both powders are unsweetened and can be used for baking, cooking or to create milk-based beverages. Natural cocoa powder is acidic in nature and has a sharp bitter taste. Yet, it is excellent for baking chocolaty recipes. However, when natural cocoa powder is treated with an alkaline salt such as potassium or sodium carbonates the powder can dissolves easily in liquids. This patented process was developed by Coenraad Johannes van Houten, a Dutch chocolatier, in 1828 and earned the name "Dutch" processing. Dutch-Processed cocoa has a mild flavor, dark color and must be used in recipes requiring active ingredients like Baking Powder.

Drinking Chocolate ~
Drinking Chocolate or European Drinking Chocolate consists of sweetened cocoa solids combined with milk and served hot. These drinking chocolates can be extremely thick and made with over 50% cocoa solids. Cocoa solids are one of two components extracted from cocoa (bean) Nibs during the grinding process to create a thick paste called "Chocolate Liquor". Chocolate Liquor is non-alcoholic, and consists of cocoa butter (42% - %50%) and cocoa solids (50% - 58%).

Hot Cocoa ~
Often confused with Hot Chocolate, Hot Cocoa is made of cocoa solids pressed to form cocoa powder and then combined with sweeteners, thickeners and added to either milk or water to form a drinking beverage.

Hot Chocolate ~
Hot Chocolate is the result of combining chocolate bars (bittersweet, semisweet) with milk. Since chocolate bars already contain sweeteners, cocoa butter and cocoa powder to create this scrumptious drink, additional sugar can be added as an enhancer.

An "instant" drink is the result of powdered milk being added to Cocoa Powder. The mixture of powdered milk and Cocoa Powder creates a quick cup of Hot Chocolate when added to water.

Resources:

1. University of Guelph, Dairy Science and Technology, http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/deicon/chocolate
2. Baking 911, Chocolate, Cocoa & Carob Types, http://www.baking911.com
3. http://Wikipedia.com
4. http://Answers.com
5. StarChefs.com, Drinking Chocolate, http://www.starchefs.com