Cocoa trees are native to the Americas, precisely at the foot of the Andes mountains in the Amazon and Orinoco river basins, South America. However, it is possible that the cacao tree was once widespread as far as Central America. A clay handicraft dated 1400-1500 BC found at the excavation site of an archaeological site contained sedimentary residues that confirmed this.
Cocoa beans or cocoa beans are the fruit seeds of the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) that have gone through a fermentation and drying process and are ready to be processed. Cocoa beans are the basis for making chocolate and traditional Mesoamerican dishes such as tejate.
Cocoa pods have a thick skin, about 3 cm. The flesh of the fruit called pulp is not utilized. This pulp contains sugar and helps ferment the cocoa beans. Each cocoa pod contains 30-50 seeds. The color of the beans before the fermentation and drying process is white, and then turns purplish or brownish red. Except for one variety from Peru whose seed color remains white even though it has gone through a process of fermentation and drying.
To process Cocoa beans into chocolate requires adequate knowledge so that the results are of high quality and have a selling value to be marketed to the market as a product. Food and beverages produced from cocoa plants are currently the prima donna in almost all groups of people. Let alone children, adults also make chocolate as their favorite type of food and drink.
In general, the process of processing cocoa beans into chocolate goes through several stages. Here is some information on the process of processing cocoa beans into chocolate.
