Unroasted Cocoa Beans Are Scarlet Red

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Have you ever wondered what the natural look of most of the drinks we consume in everyday life is? The text tells interesting details about the cocoa tree and cocoa beans, their distribution in Europe and in general the aromatic history of cocoa and chocolate.

It turns out that the cocoa tree reaches a height of about 15 meters. Its leaves are evergreen. It blooms in beautiful white, pink and red colors. From the flowers after 4 to 6 months a cucumber-like fruit is formed, about 25 cm long and about 10 cm thick.

The inside of the fruit contains 30-50 grains with a bright red to scarlet color. After picking, there is a special processing, including drying and fermentation, thanks to which the cocoa beans acquire the specific aroma and taste.

It is believed that the homeland of the cocoa tree is somewhere in South America. Cocoa did not reach Europe until the beginning of the 16th century. An interesting detail is that then cocoa was also used as a bargaining chip. With 150 cocoa beans, a silver real could be bought. And with 100 grains the wealthier got a slave.

In the past, there was a different processing and use of cocoa beans. After drying and baking, they were ground and mixed with corn flour. This mix was dissolved in water and consumed. The drink was called chocolate.

The preparation of a sweetened cocoa drink began decades later, after the conquerors brought sugar cane to Europe. Cocoa production began in the 17th century in France (Martinique) and Venezuela. And in 1657 the first "Chocolate House" was established in London.

At the beginning of the 19th century, it became increasingly common on the Old Continent to set up chocolate companies.

In the 17th and 19th centuries, however, Europeans consumed a stranger type of cocoa drink. At that time, the technology for extracting oil from cocoa beans was not yet known. That is why the drinks were difficult to swallow and therefore difficult to digest.

The production of the cocoa drink as we know it today began in the late 1920s. Then the first Dutch company Van Houten registered a patent for the production of chocolate powder, which took away about 1/3 of the butter. The Dutch company is the first in the world to start producing soluble cocoa.

Milk chocolate was "invented" in 1876. Then the chocolate industry received a real boost. The beginning of the mass use of chocolate in cooking is beginning. Cocoa began to be used in the preparation of candies, biscuits, puddings, cakes and other sweet temptations.