How is chocolate made?
Workers cut the fruit of the cacao tree, or pods open and scoop out the beans. These beans are allowed to ferment and then dry. Then they are cleaned, roasted and hulled. Once the shells have been removed they are called nibs. Nibs are blended much like coffee beans, to produce different colors and flavors. Then they are ground up and the cocoa butter is released. The heat from the grinding process causes this mixture of cocoa butter and finely ground nibs to melt and form a free-flowing substance known as chocolate liquor. From there, different varieties of chocolate are produced.
Chocolate is a general term used to describe a number of foods made from the cacao bean. It is particularly used to describe a sweet confection made from cacao with sugar added. There are many different ways to prepare chocolate, some dating back thousands of years. It is believed that chocolate use by the Mayans dates back more than 2,500 years, and the Aztecs are also known to have used chocolate ritually and for pleasure. This chocolate was consumed as a bitter drink, sometimes with hot peppers added, and was an important item throughout the New World. The cacao bean grows on the cacao tree, and the first step in chocolate production is harvesting these beans. The beans are then cut open, the pulp is taken out, and the husks are discarded or used for other purposes. The mix of pulp and seeds is then left to ferment, usually in wooden boxes in the ground, for between five to ten days. Once sufficient flavor has been imparted through fermentation, the beans are dried either by laying
” Let’s pick up with the arrival of the cacao beans at the factory (or click here to learn about how cacao is grown). At the factory, the cacao beans are first sifted for foreign objects- you know, rocks, machetes, whatever got left in the bag. The cacao is weighed and sorted by type so that the manufacturer knows exactly what type of cacao is going into the chocolate. Some manufacturers use up to twelve types of cacao in their recipes, and they must carefully measure so that the flavor is consistent time after time. Next, the cacao beans are roasted in large, rotating ovens, at temperatures of about 210-290F. Roasting lasts from half an hour up to two hours. The heat brings out more flavor and aroma, and it dries and darkens the beans.
In the production of chocolate, cocoa beans, which are a product of the cacao tree, are strongly required for the producing process. However, the origin of the cacao tree is still in obscurity. Some people say it originated in Brazil, around the Amazon basin. Some say the Orinoco Valley of Venezuela is likely to be the first place in finding the tree. While some others believe that it is Central America, where the tree was found for the first time. A cacao tree is a tropical plant which is able to thrive only in hot and rainy climate. Therefore, its crops and cultivation are able to grow in tropical areas such as South Africa, Africa and some regions in Asia. It’s estimated that two-thirds of the world’s cocoa is produced in Western Africa with almost half of the total yield derived from the Ivory Coast. Chocolate’s production process begins when a cacao seed is planted. The cacao tree is a very delicate and sensitive plant, protection from the wind and a fair amount of shade is strong
