The Science of Spice

162 Spice Profiles

The plant

Cacao is a broad-leaved,

tropical evergreen tree in the

mallow family. It grows up to

7m (23ft) tall in plantations, and

up to 15m (50ft) tall in the wild.

Nibs

Cacao nibs are broken pieces of the

unsweetened inner kernel of the cacao

seed. They are available pre-roasted

or, less commonly, raw (see Release

the flavour).

Clusters of pinkish-

white flowers are

produced on the main

trunk and branches

Fruit is a

green, yellow,

or brown pod

containing large

seeds embedded

in a white pulp

BOTANICAL NAME

Theobroma cacao

ALSO KNOWN AS

Cocoa.

MAJOR FLAVOUR COMPOUND

Isovaleraldehyde.

PARTS USED

Seeds (also known as “beans”).

METHOD OF CULTIVATION

Ripe fruits are picked with a pole-mounted

cutting hook, then broken open by hand.

COMMERCIAL PREPARATION

The bitter raw seeds are fermented to

develop palatable flavours, then dried,

often next to open wood fires, roasted,

and cracked to release the inner kernel.

NON-CULINARY USES

In cosmetics; in traditional medicine as a

stimulant; in modern medicine purported

to protect against heart disease.

MEXICO

COLOMBIA

BRAZIL

GHANA

IVORY

COAST

ECUADOR

PERU

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

CACAO

Earthy | Floral | Bittersweet

There is evidence that cacao was

being used by the Olmec people of

southern Mexico as early as 1500 BCE.

By 600 BCE, the Olmec had introduced

cacao to the Maya of Yucatan, who

used it as a source of nourishment.

They traded cacao to the Aztecs,

who turned the beans into a thick,

unsweetened drink. When the

Spanish invaded Yucatan in the early

16th century they recognized that

cacao was a precious commodity,

and began sweetening it with cane

sugar. The first recorded shipment of

cacao beans to Europe reached Spain

in 1585. Within a century, chocolate

beverages were being consumed

across Europe, long before coffee

and tea. The first ever solid chocolate

bar was manufactured by Fry’s of

Bristol in England in 1847.

Spice story

Region of cultivation

Cacao is native to tropical Central and South

America. More than 50 per cent of the world’s

total crop is now produced in the Ivory Coast

and Ghana, but many other tropical countries

cultivate cacao, including Ecuador, Brazil,

Peru, Colombia, Mexico, the Dominican

Republic, and Indonesia.

Use nibs whole, chop

roughly, or grind to a

coarse powder in a

pestle and mortar

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