Difference between revisions of "Cacao" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
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==Description==
 
==Description==
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Cacao, or the [[cocoa]] plant, ''Theobroma cacao'', is a member of the Sterculiaceae (alternatively [[Malvaceae]]) family of [[flowering plant]]s. It is a small plant that grows to about 4 to 8 meters in height (15 to 26 feet). The leathery [[leaf|leaves]] are alternate, entire, oblong, unlobed, 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 16 inches) long and 5 to 20 centimeters (2 to 8 inches) broad.  
+
Cacao, or the [[cocoa]] plant, ''Theobroma cacao'', is a member of the Sterculiaceae (alternatively [[Malvaceae]]) family of [[flowering plant]]s. It is one of  22 known species in the ''Theobroma'' genus.
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''T. cacao'' is a small plant that grows to about 4 to 8 meters in height (15 to 26 feet). The leathery [[leaf|leaves]] are alternate, entire, oblong, unlobed, 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 16 inches) long and 5 to 20 centimeters (2 to 8 inches) broad.  
  
 
[[Image:Theobroma cacao2.jpg|thumb|left|240px|Cacao flowers]]
 
[[Image:Theobroma cacao2.jpg|thumb|left|240px|Cacao flowers]]
 
The [[flower]]s are produced in clusters directly on the [[trunk]] and older branches. They are small, 1 to 2 centimeters (1/2 to 1 inches) diameter, with pink calyx. While many of the world's [[flower]]s are [[pollination|pollinated]] by [[bee]]s ([[Hymenoptera]]) or [[butterfly|butterflies]]/[[moth]]s ([[Lepidoptera]]), cacao flowers are pollinated by tiny flies, [[midge]]s in the order [[Diptera]]. The [[fruit]], called a cacao pod, is ovoid, 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) long, and 8 to 10 centimeters  (3 to 4 inches) wide, ripening yellow to orange, and weighing about 500 grams (1 pound) when ripe. The pod contains 20 to 60 [[seed]]s, usually called "beans," which are embedded in a white pulp. Each seed contains a significant amount of [[fat]]. Their most noted active constituent is [[theobromine]], a compound similar to [[caffeine]].  
 
The [[flower]]s are produced in clusters directly on the [[trunk]] and older branches. They are small, 1 to 2 centimeters (1/2 to 1 inches) diameter, with pink calyx. While many of the world's [[flower]]s are [[pollination|pollinated]] by [[bee]]s ([[Hymenoptera]]) or [[butterfly|butterflies]]/[[moth]]s ([[Lepidoptera]]), cacao flowers are pollinated by tiny flies, [[midge]]s in the order [[Diptera]]. The [[fruit]], called a cacao pod, is ovoid, 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) long, and 8 to 10 centimeters  (3 to 4 inches) wide, ripening yellow to orange, and weighing about 500 grams (1 pound) when ripe. The pod contains 20 to 60 [[seed]]s, usually called "beans," which are embedded in a white pulp. Each seed contains a significant amount of [[fat]]. Their most noted active constituent is [[theobromine]], a compound similar to [[caffeine]].  
  
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The tree today is found growing wild in the low foothills of the [[Andes]] at elevations of around 200 to 400 meters (650 to 1300 feet) in the [[Amazon River|Amazon]] and [[Orinoco]] [[river]] basins. It requires a humid climate with regular [[rainfall]] and good soil. It is an [[understory]] tree, growing best with some overhead shade.  
+
The tree today is found growing wild in the low foothills of the [[Andes]] at elevations of around 200 to 400 meters (650 to 1300 feet) in the [[Amazon River|Amazon]] and [[Orinoco]] [[river]] basins. It requires a humid climate with regular [[rainfall]] and good soil. It is an [[understory]] tree, growing best with some overhead shade. The species has two subspecies and three forms. The South American subspecies ''T. c. spaerocarpum'' has a fairly smooth melon-like fruit. In contrast, the Mesoamerican ''T. c. cacao'' subspecies has ridged, elongated fruits.  
  
 
There are two prominent competing hypotheses about the origins of the original wild ''Theobroma cacao'' tree.  One is that wild examples were originally distributed from southeastern [[Mexico]] to the [[Amazon]] basin, with domestication taking place both in the Lacandon area of [[Mexico]] and in lowland South America.  But recent studies of ''Theobroma cacao'' genetics seem to show that the plant originated in the Amazon and was distributed by humans throughout Central America and Mesoamerica.  
 
There are two prominent competing hypotheses about the origins of the original wild ''Theobroma cacao'' tree.  One is that wild examples were originally distributed from southeastern [[Mexico]] to the [[Amazon]] basin, with domestication taking place both in the Lacandon area of [[Mexico]] and in lowland South America.  But recent studies of ''Theobroma cacao'' genetics seem to show that the plant originated in the Amazon and was distributed by humans throughout Central America and Mesoamerica.  
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It is widely cultivated today, particularly in [[Brazil]] in Latin America and in [[Ghana]], [[Nigeria]], and the [[Ivory Coast]] in Western Africa.  
 
It is widely cultivated today, particularly in [[Brazil]] in Latin America and in [[Ghana]], [[Nigeria]], and the [[Ivory Coast]] in Western Africa.  
  
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The main products form the seeds are [[chocolate]], [[cocoa]], and [[cocoa butter]]. Chocolate is made from the fermented, roasted, and toasted beans, with the [[fermentation]] used to eliminate the normal bitter, astringent quality of the seeds. It has a combination of the solids and the fat from the cocoa beans, whereas cocoa is the solids of the cacao bean and cocoa butter is the fat component.  
+
The main products form the seeds are [[chocolate]], [[cocoa]], and [[cocoa butter]]. Chocolate is made from the fermented, roasted, and toasted beans, with the [[fermentation]] used to eliminate the normal bitter, astringent quality of the seeds. It has a combination of the solids and the fat from the cocoa beans, whereas cocoa is the solids of the cacao bean, and cocoa butter is the fat component.  
  
 
==History of cultivation==
 
==History of cultivation==
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Cultivation, cultural elaboration and use of cacao were extensive and early in [[Mesoamerica]].  Studies of the ''Theobroma cacao'' tree genetics suggests a domestication and spread from lowland Amazonia, contesting an earlier hypothesis that the tree was domesticated independently in both the [[Lacandon]] area of [[Mexico]], and in Amazonia. The cacao tree belongs to the Theobroma genus, in the Sterculiaceae family, that contains 22 species. Today, the most common of the cultivated species is ''Theobroma cacao'', with two subspecies and three forms. Wild cacaos falling into two groups. The South American subspecies spaerocarpum has a fairly smooth melon-like fruit. In contrast, the Mesoamerican cacao subspecies has ridged, elongated fruits. At some unknown early date, the subspecies T. cacao cacao reached the southern lowlands of Mesoamerica and came into wide usage.
 
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[[Image:Cacao Aztec Sculpture.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Aztec statuary of a male figure holding a cacao pod]]
 
[[Image:Cacao Aztec Sculpture.jpg|right|thumb|100px|Aztec statuary of a male figure holding a cacao pod]]
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The [[Maya civilization|Maya]] believed that the ''kakaw'' (cacao) was discovered by the gods in a mountain that also contained other delectable foods to be used by the [[Maya civilization|Maya]]. According to [[Maya mythology]], the [[Plumed Serpent]] gave cacao to the Maya after humans were created from maize by divine grandmother goddess [[Xmucane]] (Bogin 1997, Coe 1996, Montejo 1999, Tedlock 1985). The [[Maya civilization|Maya]] celebrated an annual festival in April to honor their cacao god, '''[[Ek Chuah]]''', an event that included the sacrifice of a [[dog]] with cacao colored markings; additional animal sacrifices; offerings of cacao, feathers and incense; and an exchange of gifts. In a similar creation story, the [[Mexica]] ([[Aztec]]) god [[Quetzalcoatl]] discovered cacao (''cacahuatl'': "'bitter water"'), in a mountain filled with other plant foods (Coe 1996, Townsend 1992). Cacao was offered regularly to a pantheon of [[Mexica]] deities and the [[Madrid Codex]] depicts priests lancing their ear lobes (autosacrifice) and covering the cacao with blood as a suitable sacrifice to the gods. The cacao beverage as ritual were used only by men, as it was believed to be   [[toxic]] for women and children.
+
Cultivation and use of cacao were extensive and early in [[Mesoamerica]]. [[Maya civilization|Mayan]] mythology held that cacao (''kakaw'') was discovered by the gods in a mountain that also contained other desirable foods to be used by the Maya. According to this mythology, the Plumed Serpent gave cacao to the Maya after humans were created from maize by divine grandmother goddess [[Xmucane]] (Coe and Coe 1996). The Maya celebrated an annual festival in April to honor their cacao god, '''[[Ek Chuah]]''', an event that included the sacrifice of a [[dog]] with cacao colored markings, additional animal sacrifices, offerings of cacao, feathers and incense, and an exchange of gifts. In a similar Aztec mythology, the [[Mexica]] ([[Aztec]]) god [[Quetzalcoatl]] discovered cacao (''cacahuatl'' or "bitter water"), in a mountain filled with other plant foods (Coe and Coe 1996). Cacao was offered regularly to a pantheon of [[Mexica]] deities and the [[Madrid Codex]] depicts priests lancing their ear lobes (autosacrifice) and covering the cacao with blood as a suitable sacrifice to the gods. The cacao beverage as ritual were used only by men, as it was believed to be [[toxic]] for women and children. Cacao is described in ancient texts, for ceremonial, medicinal, and culinary uses.  
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There are several mixtures of cacao described in ancient texts, for ceremonial, medicinal uses as well as culinary purposes.  Some mixtures included [[maize]], [[chile powder|chili]], [[vanilla]] ''(Vanilla planifolia)'', peanut butter and honey.  [[Archaeological]] evidence for use of cacao, while relatively sparse, has come from the recovery of whole cacao beans at [[Uaxactun]], [[Guatemala]] (Kidder 1947) and from the preservation of wood fragments of the cacao tree at [[Belize]] sites including [[Cuello]] and [[Pulltrouser Swamp]] (Hammond and Miksicek 1981; Turner and Miksicek 1984). In addition, analysis of residues from ceramic vessels has found traces of [[theobromine]] and [[caffeine]] in early formative vessels from Puerto Escondido, Honduras (1100 - 900 B.C.E.) and in middle formative vessels from Colha, Belize (600-400 B.C.E.) using similar techniques to those used to extract chocolate residues from four classic period (ca. 400 C.E.) vessels from a tomb at the archaeological site of [[Rio Azul]].  As cacao is the only known commodity from Mesoamerica containing both of these [[alkaloid]] compounds, it seems likely that these vessels were used as containers for cacao drinks. In addition, cacao is named in a [[hieroglyph]]ic text on one of the [[Rio Azul]] vessels. Cacao was also believed to be ground by the Aztecs and mixed with tobacco for smoking purposes.
 
  
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The first Europeans to encounter cacao were [[Christopher Columbus]] and his crew in 1502, when they captured a canoe at [[Guanaja]] that contained a quantity of mysterious-looking “almonds,”. The first real European knowledge about chocolate came in the form of a beverage which was first introduced to the Spanish at their meeting with [[Montezuma]] in the [[Aztec]] capital of [[Tenochtitlan]] in 1519.  Cortez and others noted the vast quantities of this beverage that the [[Aztec]] emperor consumed, and how it was carefully whipped by his attendants beforehand.  Examples of cacao beans along with other agricultural products were brought back to [[Spain]] at that time, but it seems that the beverage made from cacao was introduced to the Spanish court in 1544 by Kekchi Maya nobles brought from the New World to [[Spain]] by [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] [[friar]]s to meet [[Philip II of Spain|Prince Philip]] (Coe and Coe 1996). Within a century, the [[culinary]] and [[medical]] uses of chocolate had spread to [[France]], [[England]] and elsewhere in [[Western Europe]]. Demand for this beverage led the French to establish cacao [[plantation]]s in the [[Caribbean]], while Spain subsequently developed their cacao plantations in their [[History of the Philippines (1521-1898)|Philippine colony]] (Bloom 1998, Coe 1996). The Nahuatl-derived Spanish word [[cacao]] entered scientific nomenclature in 1753 after the [[Sweden|Swedish]] naturalist [[Linnaeus]] published his taxonomic binomial system and coined the genus and species ''Theobroma'' ("food of the gods") ''cacao''.
+
The first Europeans to encounter cacao were [[Christopher Columbus]] and his crew in 1502, when they captured a canoe at [[Guanaja]] that contained a quantity of mysterious-looking “almonds.”  The first real European knowledge about chocolate came in the form of a beverage which was first introduced to the Spanish at their meeting with [[Montezuma]] in the [[Aztec]] capital of [[Tenochtitlan]] in 1519.  Cortez and others noted the vast quantities of this beverage that the [[Aztec]] emperor consumed, and how it was carefully whipped by his attendants beforehand.  Examples of cacao beans along with other agricultural products were brought back to [[Spain]] at that time. However, it seems that the beverage made from cacao was introduced to the Spanish court in 1544 by Kekchi Maya nobles brought from the New World to [[Spain]] by [[Dominican Order|Dominican]] [[friar]]s to meet [[Philip II of Spain|Prince Philip]] (Coe and Coe 1996). Within a century, the [[culinary]] and [[medical]] uses of chocolate had spread to [[France]], [[England]], and elsewhere in [[Western Europe]]. Demand for this beverage led the French to establish cacao [[plantation]]s in the [[Caribbean]], while Spain subsequently developed their cacao plantations in their Philippine colony (Coe and Coe 1996). The Nahuatl-derived Spanish word [[cacao]] entered scientific nomenclature in 1753 after the [[Sweden|Swedish]] naturalist [[Linnaeus]] published his taxonomic binomial system and coined the genus and species ''Theobroma'' ("food of the gods") ''cacao''.
  
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Traditional [[pre-Hispanic]] beverages made with cacao are still consumed in [[Mexico]]. These include the [[Oaxaca]]n beverage known as [[tejate]].
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Traditional [[pre-Hispanic]] beverages made with cacao are still consumed in [[Mexico]]. These include the [[Oaxaca]]n beverage known as [[tejate]].
  
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==Currency system==
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===Currency system===
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Cacao beans constituted both a ritual beverage and a major [[currency]] system in [[pre-Columbian]] [[Mesoamerica]]n civilizations.  At one point the [[Aztec]] empire received a yearly tribute of 980 loads (xiquipil in nahuatl) of cacao, in addition to other goods.  Each load represented exactly 8000 beans.<ref> J. Bergmann (1969). </ref>  The buying power of quality beans was such that 80-100 beans could buy a new cloth mantle. The use of cacao beans as currency is also known to have spawned counterfeiters during the Aztec empire.  <ref>S. Coe (1994).</ref>
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Cacao beans constituted both a ritual beverage and a major [[currency]] system in [[pre-Columbian]] [[Mesoamerica]]n civilizations.  At one point, the [[Aztec]] empire received a yearly tribute of 980 loads (xiquipil in nahuatl) of cacao, in addition to other goods.  Each load represented exactly 8000 beans (Bergmann 1969). The buying power of quality beans was such that 80 to 100 beans could buy a new cloth mantle. The use of cacao beans as currency is also known to have spawned counterfeiters during the Aztec empire (Coe 1994).
  
 
In some areas, such as [[Yucatán]], cacao beans were still used in place of small coins as late as the 1840s.
 
In some areas, such as [[Yucatán]], cacao beans were still used in place of small coins as late as the 1840s.
  
 
==Cultivation==
 
==Cultivation==
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Cacao is cultivated on over 70,000 km² (27,000 mi²) worldwide. Statistics from FAO [http://www.fao.org/es/ess/top/commodity.html?lang=en&item=661&year=2005|FAO] for 2005 are as follows:
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Cacao is cultivated on over 70,000 km² (27,000 mi²) worldwide. Statistics from FAO for 2005 are as follows:
  
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
{| class="wikitable"
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[[Image:Cacao.jpeg|thumb|right|Young Cacao plantation]]
 
[[Image:Cacao.jpeg|thumb|right|Young Cacao plantation]]
  
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Cocoa production has increased from 1.5 million tons in 1983-1984 to 3.5 million tons in 2003-2004, an increase that has almost entirely been due to the expansion of the production area rather than to yield increases. Over 90% of the world’s cacao is grown by smallholder farmers, who overwhelmingly make little or no use of fertilizers and agro-chemicals[http://www.bioversityinternational.org/Publications/pubfile.asp?ID_PUB=1172].
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Cocoa production increased from 1.5 million tons in 1983-1984 to 3.5 million tons in 2003-2004, an increase that due almost entirely to the expansion of the production area rather than to yield increases. Over 90% of the world’s cacao is grown by smallholder farmers, who overwhelmingly make little or no use of fertilizers and agro-chemicals (Bioversity).
  
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A tree begins to bear when it is four or five years old. In one year, when mature, it may have 6,000 flowers, but only about 20 pods. About 300-600 seeds (10 pods) are required to produce around 1 kg (2.2 lb) of [[cocoa]] paste.  
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A tree begins to bear when it is four or five years old. In one year, when mature, it may have 6,000 flowers, but only about 20 pods. About 300-600 seeds (10 pods) are required to produce around 1 kilograms (2.2 pounds) of [[cocoa]] paste.  
  
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There are three main [[cultivar|cultivar groups]] of cacao beans used to make cocoa and chocolate.<ref>http://www.xocoatl.org/variety.htm All about Chocolate — Varieties</ref> The most prized, rare, and expensive is the Criollo Group, the cocoa bean used by the [[Maya civilization|Maya]]. Only 10% of chocolate is made from Criollo, which is less bitter and more aromatic than any other bean. The cacao bean in 80% of chocolate is made using beans of the Forastero Group. Forastero trees are significantly hardier than Criollo trees, resulting in cheaper cacao beans. Trinitario, a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero, is used in about 10% of chocolate.  
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There are three main [[cultivar|cultivar groups]] of cacao beans used to make cocoa and chocolate (Xocoatl 2002). The most prized, rare, and expensive is the Criollo Group, the cocoa bean used by the [[Maya civilization|Maya]]. Only 10% of chocolate is made from Criollo, which is less bitter and more aromatic than any other bean. The cacao bean in 80% of chocolate is made using beans of the Forastero Group. Forastero trees are significantly hardier than Criollo trees, resulting in cheaper cacao beans. Trinitario, a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero, is used in about 10% of chocolate.  
  
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For details of processing, see [[cocoa]].  Major [[cocoa]] bean processors include: [[Cadbury]], [[Hershey's]], [[Nestlé]] and [[Mars Incorporated|Mars]], all of which buy in cocoa beans via various sources.
 
  
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==Pests==
 
  
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Various plant pests and diseases can cause serious problems for cacao production; see: [http://www.dropdata.org/cocoa/ ''Illustrated guide to pests and their management''].
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==Notes==
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*[[Insect]]s
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{{reflist}}
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**Cocoa [[Miridae| mirids or capsids]] (Worldwide, but especially in [[West Africa]])
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**''[[Conopomorpha cramerella]]'' ("Cocoa pod borer" - in S.E. Asia)
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== References ==
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*[[Fungus|Fungi]]
 
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**''[[Moniliophthora roreri]]'' ("Frosty Pod Rot")
 
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**''[[Moniliophthora perniciosa]]'' ("[[Witches' Broom]]")
 
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**''[[Ceratocystis cacaofunesta]]'' ("Mal de machete") or ("Ceratocystis wilt")
 
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**''[[Verticillium dahliae]]''
 
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**''[[Oncobasidium theobromae]]'' ("Vascular streak dieback")
 
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*[[Oomycete]]s
 
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**''Phytophthora'' spp. ("Black Pod") especially [[Phytophthora megakarya]] in [[West Africa]]
 
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*[[Virus]]es
 
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**[[CSSV]]
 
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* See also: [[List of cacao diseases]]
 
  
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*[[Rats]] and other [[vertebrate]] pests (squirrels, woodpeckers, ''etc.'')
+
Bioversity International Global Approaches to Cocoa Germplasm Utilization and Conservation
 +
PDF free file available - 3218Kb
 +
[http://www.bioversityinternational.org/Publications/pubfile.asp?ID_PUB=1172]
  
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==Minerals and food components==
+
Final report of the CFC/ICCO/IPGRI project on "Cocoa Germplasm Utilization and Conservation: a Global Approach" (1998-2004
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Unprocessed (raw) Cacao beans contain magnesium, copper, iron, phosphorus, calcium, anand-amide, phenylethylamine, arginine, polyphenols, epicatechins, serotonin, potassium, procyanidins, flavanols, vitamins A, B, C, D, and E {{Fact|date=August 2008}}.
 
  
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==Notes==
 
−
{{reflist}}
 
  
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== References ==
 
 
*{{cite book |author={{aut|Coe, Sophie D.}} |year=1994 |title=America's First Cuisines |location=Austin |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=0-292-71155-7}}
 
*{{cite book |author={{aut|Coe, Sophie D.}} |year=1994 |title=America's First Cuisines |location=Austin |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=0-292-71155-7}}
 
*{{cite book |author={{aut|Coe, Sophie D.}} |coauthors=and {{aut|[[Michael D. Coe]]}} |year=1996 |title=The True History of Chocolate |location=London |publisher=Thames & Hudson |isbn=0-500-01693-3}}
 
*{{cite book |author={{aut|Coe, Sophie D.}} |coauthors=and {{aut|[[Michael D. Coe]]}} |year=1996 |title=The True History of Chocolate |location=London |publisher=Thames & Hudson |isbn=0-500-01693-3}}
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|url= http://www.bioversityinternational.org/Publications/pubfile.asp?ID_PUB=1172
 
|url= http://www.bioversityinternational.org/Publications/pubfile.asp?ID_PUB=1172
 
}}
 
}}
 +
 +
[http://www.fao.org/es/ess/top/commodity.html?lang=en&item=661&year=2005|FAO]
 +
 +
 +
<ref>http://www.xocoatl.org/variety.htm All about Chocolate — Varieties</ref>
 +
The different varieties of the species
 +
Theobroma cacao L
  
 
== External links ==
 
== External links ==
−
{{Commons|Theobroma cacao}}
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−
*{{eol|16833760|Theobroma cacao}}
 
 
*[http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org World Cocoa Foundation] - Supporting Sustainable Cocoa Farming
 
*[http://www.worldcocoafoundation.org World Cocoa Foundation] - Supporting Sustainable Cocoa Farming
 
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16035 The food of the Gods] – the nature, growth, cultivation, manufacture and history of Cocoa, by Brandon Head, from [[Project Gutenberg]]
 
*[http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/16035 The food of the Gods] – the nature, growth, cultivation, manufacture and history of Cocoa, by Brandon Head, from [[Project Gutenberg]]

Revision as of 00:41, 3 September 2008

Cacao
Cacao tree with fruit pods
Cacao tree with fruit pods
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Sterculiaceae
Genus: Theobroma
Species: T. cacao
Binomial name
Theobroma cacao
L.

Cacao, or the cocoa plant, is a small, tropical New World, evergreen tree, Theobroma cacao, that is widely cultivated for its seeds, which are used to make chocolate, cocoa butter, and cocoa powder. Cacao is characterized by large, unlobed, alternate leaves, small pinkish flowers produced in clusters directly on the trunk and branches, and leathery, ovoid fruits, or pods, in which are embedded numerous almond-shaped seeds, which also are known as beans, cacao beans, or cocoa beans.

The chocolate residue found in an ancient Maya pot suggests that Maya were drinking chocolate 2,600 years ago, the earliest record of cacao use. Chocolate was an important luxury good throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, and cocoa beans were often used as currency. The Aztecs associated chocolate with Xochiquetzal, the goddess of fertility.


Description

Cacao, or the cocoa plant, Theobroma cacao, is a member of the Sterculiaceae (alternatively Malvaceae) family of flowering plants. It is one of 22 known species in the Theobroma genus.

T. cacao is a small plant that grows to about 4 to 8 meters in height (15 to 26 feet). The leathery leaves are alternate, entire, oblong, unlobed, 10 to 40 centimeters (4 to 16 inches) long and 5 to 20 centimeters (2 to 8 inches) broad.

Cacao flowers

The flowers are produced in clusters directly on the trunk and older branches. They are small, 1 to 2 centimeters (1/2 to 1 inches) diameter, with pink calyx. While many of the world's flowers are pollinated by bees (Hymenoptera) or butterflies/moths (Lepidoptera), cacao flowers are pollinated by tiny flies, midges in the order Diptera. The fruit, called a cacao pod, is ovoid, 15 to 30 centimeters (6 to 12 inches) long, and 8 to 10 centimeters (3 to 4 inches) wide, ripening yellow to orange, and weighing about 500 grams (1 pound) when ripe. The pod contains 20 to 60 seeds, usually called "beans," which are embedded in a white pulp. Each seed contains a significant amount of fat. Their most noted active constituent is theobromine, a compound similar to caffeine.

The tree today is found growing wild in the low foothills of the Andes at elevations of around 200 to 400 meters (650 to 1300 feet) in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. It requires a humid climate with regular rainfall and good soil. It is an understory tree, growing best with some overhead shade. The species has two subspecies and three forms. The South American subspecies T. c. spaerocarpum has a fairly smooth melon-like fruit. In contrast, the Mesoamerican T. c. cacao subspecies has ridged, elongated fruits.

There are two prominent competing hypotheses about the origins of the original wild Theobroma cacao tree. One is that wild examples were originally distributed from southeastern Mexico to the Amazon basin, with domestication taking place both in the Lacandon area of Mexico and in lowland South America. But recent studies of Theobroma cacao genetics seem to show that the plant originated in the Amazon and was distributed by humans throughout Central America and Mesoamerica.

The scientific name Theobroma means "food of the gods". The word cacao itself derives from the Nahuatl (Aztec language) word cacahuatl, learned at the time of the conquest, when it was first encountered by the Spanish. Similar words for the plant and its by-products are attested in a number of other indigenous Mesoamerican languages.

It is widely cultivated today, particularly in Brazil in Latin America and in Ghana, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast in Western Africa.

The main products form the seeds are chocolate, cocoa, and cocoa butter. Chocolate is made from the fermented, roasted, and toasted beans, with the fermentation used to eliminate the normal bitter, astringent quality of the seeds. It has a combination of the solids and the fat from the cocoa beans, whereas cocoa is the solids of the cacao bean, and cocoa butter is the fat component.

History of cultivation

Aztec statuary of a male figure holding a cacao pod

Cultivation and use of cacao were extensive and early in Mesoamerica. Mayan mythology held that cacao (kakaw) was discovered by the gods in a mountain that also contained other desirable foods to be used by the Maya. According to this mythology, the Plumed Serpent gave cacao to the Maya after humans were created from maize by divine grandmother goddess Xmucane (Coe and Coe 1996). The Maya celebrated an annual festival in April to honor their cacao god, Ek Chuah, an event that included the sacrifice of a dog with cacao colored markings, additional animal sacrifices, offerings of cacao, feathers and incense, and an exchange of gifts. In a similar Aztec mythology, the Mexica (Aztec) god Quetzalcoatl discovered cacao (cacahuatl or "bitter water"), in a mountain filled with other plant foods (Coe and Coe 1996). Cacao was offered regularly to a pantheon of Mexica deities and the Madrid Codex depicts priests lancing their ear lobes (autosacrifice) and covering the cacao with blood as a suitable sacrifice to the gods. The cacao beverage as ritual were used only by men, as it was believed to be toxic for women and children. Cacao is described in ancient texts, for ceremonial, medicinal, and culinary uses.

The first Europeans to encounter cacao were Christopher Columbus and his crew in 1502, when they captured a canoe at Guanaja that contained a quantity of mysterious-looking “almonds.” The first real European knowledge about chocolate came in the form of a beverage which was first introduced to the Spanish at their meeting with Montezuma in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in 1519. Cortez and others noted the vast quantities of this beverage that the Aztec emperor consumed, and how it was carefully whipped by his attendants beforehand. Examples of cacao beans along with other agricultural products were brought back to Spain at that time. However, it seems that the beverage made from cacao was introduced to the Spanish court in 1544 by Kekchi Maya nobles brought from the New World to Spain by Dominican friars to meet Prince Philip (Coe and Coe 1996). Within a century, the culinary and medical uses of chocolate had spread to France, England, and elsewhere in Western Europe. Demand for this beverage led the French to establish cacao plantations in the Caribbean, while Spain subsequently developed their cacao plantations in their Philippine colony (Coe and Coe 1996). The Nahuatl-derived Spanish word cacao entered scientific nomenclature in 1753 after the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus published his taxonomic binomial system and coined the genus and species Theobroma ("food of the gods") cacao.

Traditional pre-Hispanic beverages made with cacao are still consumed in Mexico. These include the Oaxacan beverage known as tejate.

Currency system

Cacao beans constituted both a ritual beverage and a major currency system in pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations. At one point, the Aztec empire received a yearly tribute of 980 loads (xiquipil in nahuatl) of cacao, in addition to other goods. Each load represented exactly 8000 beans (Bergmann 1969). The buying power of quality beans was such that 80 to 100 beans could buy a new cloth mantle. The use of cacao beans as currency is also known to have spawned counterfeiters during the Aztec empire (Coe 1994).

In some areas, such as Yucatán, cacao beans were still used in place of small coins as late as the 1840s.

Cultivation

Cacao is cultivated on over 70,000 km² (27,000 mi²) worldwide. Statistics from FAO for 2005 are as follows:

Rank, Country Value Production
(Int $1000*) MT
1 Côte d'Ivoire 1,024,339 1,330,000
2 Ghana 566,852 736,000
3 Indonesia 469,810 610,000
4 Nigeria 281,886 366,000
5 Brazil 164,644 213,774
6 Cameroon 138,632 180,000
7 Ecuador 105,652 137,178
8 Colombia 42,589 55,298
9 Mexico 37,281 48,405
10 Papua New Guinea 32,733 42,500
11 Malaysia 25,742 33,423
12 Dominican Republic 24,646 32,000
13 Peru 21,950 28,500
14 Venezuela 13,093 17,000
15 Sierra Leone 8,472 11,000
16 Togo 6,547 8,500
17 India 6,161 8,000
18 Philippines 4,352 5,650
19 Congo, Rep. 4,336 5,630
20 Solomon Islands 3,851 5,000
  • Production in Int $1000 have been calculated based on 1999-2001 international prices
Cacao seed in the fruit or Pocha
Young Cacao plantation

Cocoa production increased from 1.5 million tons in 1983-1984 to 3.5 million tons in 2003-2004, an increase that due almost entirely to the expansion of the production area rather than to yield increases. Over 90% of the world’s cacao is grown by smallholder farmers, who overwhelmingly make little or no use of fertilizers and agro-chemicals (Bioversity).

A tree begins to bear when it is four or five years old. In one year, when mature, it may have 6,000 flowers, but only about 20 pods. About 300-600 seeds (10 pods) are required to produce around 1 kilograms (2.2 pounds) of cocoa paste.

There are three main cultivar groups of cacao beans used to make cocoa and chocolate (Xocoatl 2002). The most prized, rare, and expensive is the Criollo Group, the cocoa bean used by the Maya. Only 10% of chocolate is made from Criollo, which is less bitter and more aromatic than any other bean. The cacao bean in 80% of chocolate is made using beans of the Forastero Group. Forastero trees are significantly hardier than Criollo trees, resulting in cheaper cacao beans. Trinitario, a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero, is used in about 10% of chocolate.


Notes

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Bioversity International Global Approaches to Cocoa Germplasm Utilization and Conservation PDF free file available - 3218Kb [1]

Final report of the CFC/ICCO/IPGRI project on "Cocoa Germplasm Utilization and Conservation: a Global Approach" (1998-2004


  • Coe, Sophie D. (1994). America's First Cuisines. Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-71155-7. 
  • Coe, Sophie D. and and Michael D. Coe (1996). The True History of Chocolate. London: Thames & Hudson. ISBN 0-500-01693-3. 
  • Dienhart, John M. (1997). The Mayan Languages- A Comparative Vocabulary (electronic version (PDF)). Odense University. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
  • McNeil, Cameron (editor) (2006). Chocolate in Mesoamerica: A Cultural History of Cacao. Gainesville: University of Florida Press. ISBN 0-8130-2953-8. 
  • Bergmann, John (1969). The Distribution of Cacao Cultivation in Pre-Columbian America. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 59: 85–96.
  • Motamayor, J. C. et al. (2002). Cacao domestication I: the origin of the cacao cultivated by the Mayas. Heredity 89: 380–386.
  • A. Frison, M. Diekman and D. Nowell (2000). Cacao, FAO / IPGRI Technical Guidelines for the Safe Movement of Germplasm No. 20. ACRI - FAO - IPGRI. 
  • A.B. Eskes and Y. Efron, editors (2006). Global Approaches to Cocoa Germplasm Utilization and Conservation. CFC - ICCO - IPGRI. 

[2]


[1] The different varieties of the species Theobroma cacao L

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  1. ↑ http://www.xocoatl.org/variety.htm All about Chocolate — Varieties
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