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Theobroma cacao L. – the botanical description for cocoa is an indication of a name that makes the hearts of gourmets everywhere beat a little faster. The name of the genus Theobroma originates from the Greek and means “food of the gods”.
The cocoa tree originates in the dense rainforests of the Upper Amazon and of the Orinoco, which flows through Venezuela. With a height of 15 metres, the tree tends to be overshadowed by its gigantic neighbours. On plantations it is smaller, often due to regular pruning.
The large, heavy fruits grow on the trunk of the cocoa tree all year round; their seeds – which are rich in fat and protein – provide the raw material for our chocolate. Each fruit contains ca. 40 - 50 seeds – the cocoa beans. Just the right amount needed for the production of one bar of chocolate.
After harvesting, the beans – which still taste extremely bitter – are removed from the husks and, together with the fruit pulp, allowed to ferment. Covered in boxes or on banana leaves they soon start to ferment in the tropical heat; their colour and taste change. Before being transported to the roasting facilities of the major chocolate manufacturers in Europe and America they are dried in the sun.
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