What is ceremonial, pure Cacao? How it's made?
Long ago, in times when time was measured by sunrise and sunset, there were people on Earth who could communicate with plants (they were called Whisperers.) They knew which plant likes a sunny place and which one more shaded space. They also knew how to make it bear a lot of fruits. Of all the plants they encountered, the most capricious was the Cocoa* tree: when small it has to be protected from the wind, the ground on which it grew could not be too wet, and at the very end, the fruits it gave did not quite suit the Whispering People. Why?
After opening such a fruit, there was a lot of pulp inside and some seeds that were as dark as night and bitter as the refusal of a loved one. Among the Whisperers, however, there was one man who believed that everything on Earth had a purpose. So he decided to find a way for the capricious Cocoa tree. And so, day and night, he tried different methods: he cooked pudding from the pulp, wrapped it in banana leaves and made „croquettes” … The sky was the limit for his imagination, but his body needed some rest. One day he fell asleep during another culinary experiment next to a bowl full of cocoa beans and pulp. He slept deeply, dreaming of strange lands, until his wife’s raised voice woke him: “A whole bowl full of fermented beans! Yuck! I don’t know what you’ve come up with this time, but I need that bowl!” having said this, she poured the entire contents onto the ground. The man looked resigned, shook his head and walked away.
At that time, the Sun stood at its zenith and looked at the Cocoa beans lying on the ground. Its rays penetrated the soft skin and dried the moist center, cuddling it with its bright light…
When the man returned from a walk, he saw that the whole village had gathered in front of his hut. People were sitting in a circle, talking, laughing and enjoying themselves. When they saw him, they shouted for joy.
“You did it! It worked!” heard here and there. He didn’t understand what had happened until he saw the faces of the children covered in brown mass…
Since then, the news about the destiny of the capricious Cocoa has spread to all corners of the world. And people to this day sit down to a joint celebration of Cacao and chocolate!
Below you will find a more scientific explanation of the origin and history of pure/ceremonial Cacao.
Cacao is no more no less a fermented, sun-dried cacao beans, slowly ground at low temperature to a smooth mass (or less smooth if the beans are not thoroughly peeled). This mass is then poured into a mold where it freezes and then goes to +Cacao HQ!
When the cocoa fruit is ripe, it is harvested, opened and the pulp and beans are removed. After harvest, the beans ferment for up to a week. During this time, enzymes responsible for the deep and rich taste of Cacao are produced in them (as in red wine, tannins responsible for acidity also appear).
This is followed by drying in the sun (or in some cases, depending on the region, over a fire). Thanks to the low processing temperature, Cacao retains its diverse taste (depending on the region it comes from) and the whole range of nutrients needed by our bodies!
Then it’s just roasting (or not), grain cleaning (or not!), grinding and “forming” (pouring the mass into the appropriate mold so that it solidifies). That’s the way it’s made!
What about cocoa, such a sweet instant powder?
These are the “by-products” of extracting the cocoa butter from the Cacao mass. Real Cacao contains approx. 52-54% fat!!! Cocoa butter is a very valuable and desirable product in the cosmetics industry. Therefore, by connecting the dots: fat from the cacao mass goes for cosmetics industry, and the remaining cocoa powder (fat content approx. 12%) for the store shelf. And please don’t misunderstand me! As I wrote on the main page: it’s your call what you choose and what is your cup of tea (or Cacao!). If you like instant cocoa, it’s great! However, it is worth knowing that it is obtained at high temperature, which loses most of its nutritional wealth
