The fermented seed of a Mesoamerican rainforest tree — the raw material that becomes chocolate, prized by the Aztecs as currency and a sacred drink long before Europeans encountered it.
Cacao vs. cocoa
Two near-identical words with different meanings:
- Cacao — the raw, minimally processed bean and its products.
- Cocoa — the same bean after roasting and Dutch processing (alkalization).
Raw cacao is darker, bitterer, and retains more flavanols; cocoa is mellower and has a deeper, roasted chocolate flavor.
A six-step transformation
To get from pod to chocolate:
- Harvest — pods cut from the tree (10 months from flower to ripe pod).
- Ferment — pulp-coated beans piled and covered for 5–7 days; microbial activity develops chocolate flavor precursors.
- Dry — beans laid in the sun for 1–2 weeks.
- Roast — at 120–150 °C, develops the signature chocolate aroma.
- Crack and winnow — separates the nibs from papery hulls.
- Grind — at high heat to liquid chocolate liquor; can be pressed to separate cocoa butter from cocoa solids.
Aztec currency
The Aztec Empire used cacao beans as currency — a slave was worth 100 beans, a turkey 100 beans, a fresh avocado 3 beans. Counterfeiting (hollowed-out beans filled with mud) was a documented crime. Spanish conquistadors initially despised cacao but adopted it after sweetening, eventually exporting it to Europe in the 16th century.
Find more foods by letter
Cacao starts with C and ends with O. Browse other foods along the same letter.
Foods that contain a letter from "Cacao":