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Home , Cocoa bean, Theobroma cacao

cacao L. The Food of the Gods The Theobroma separated into ±20 species during the last Ice Age. Humans then distributed the species throughout the Americas The species of Theobroma

From left to right: T. grandiflorum, T. bicolor, T. speciosum, T.cacao separated into at least five varieties

Forestero = “stranger” 85% Criollo = “native” 5% cupuaçu = “T. grandiflorum” Nacional = “rare form of Trinitario”

Trinitario = hybrid between forester & criollo 10% The main varieties of cacao

Forastero Criollo Trinitario (“foreigner”) (“creole”) (“Trinidad”) Biology of Theobroma cacao

Theobroma is a small, rainforest understory . It is shade tolerant and requires high temps and humidity Theobroma

Young leaves are often turned down and pigmented Typical “drip tip” of the tropical rainforest Theobroma flowers are cauliflorous The flowers are pollinated by midges

Forcipomyia midges The is surrounded by a sweet substance…

…but the are poisonous! Before humans cacao were eaten and the seeds dispersed by forest animals

Agiuti Spider Monkey

So when and how did humans get involved? Although Theobroma cacao originated in Amazonia, it first appeared in

1500–400 BCE

The earliest physical evidence of the presence of cacao in Mesoamerica dates to the Olmec culture of Mesoamerica (, , , and El Salvador) The evidence is the detection of in San Lorenzo Olmec pottery

Olmec pottery

Clay pot control Theobromine-positive vessels from the San Lorenzo B phase of the San Lorenzo site that illustrate storage, preparation, and serving functions. (Left to Right) Sample Theobromine control 110, a Caamaño coarse neckless jar with supports; sample 97, a Pochitoca polished bottle; and sample 108, a Tigrillo black-and-white incurved-rim bowl. Images Blank courtesy of Rogelio Santiago, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán Archaeological Project Analysis for theobromine The Maya incorporated cacao into their culture

250–900 CE

Olmec Maya

The Maya named the “Kakau” According to , Hunahpú (one of the Hero Twins of the Popol Vuh) gave cacao to the Maya after humans were created from by the divine grandmother goddess Ixmucané. The early cultures invented the method of processing cacao seeds into

• fermenting the seeds (found inside cacao pods), • drying the seeds, • the seeds, • removing the shells from the to get the nibs • grinding the nibs

Grinding kakau on a matate Cacao pot from Rio Azul (460AD) Images of Kakau are found throughout Maya ruins

This vase was painted sometime in the 7th or 8th century The classic Maya Maize God A.D., in or near the Chama region of Highland . depicted as a cacao tree According to the myth of the Popol Vuh of the Quiche Maya, the head of Hun Hunaphpu sprout from a calabash tree. The Maya drank chocolate as a frothy, hot and bitter drink

1. Mix the cacao paste with 2 Add such as chilli peppers and cornmeal 3. Pour the concoction back and forth from cup to pot until it develops thick foam on top 4. Sweeten with or flower nectar

A lord tests the heat of his chocolate in this painting on a Late Classic Maya vase from Petén; note tamales (Maize cakes), covered with chocolate-chile sauce below him. Pouring Kakau to make froth. Petén Site (460AD) The assimilated the Mayan culture, including cacao

14th Century

The chocolate drink turned into an upper class privilege For the Aztec Quetzacoatl was the source of the cacao

According to an Aztec legend, it is the god who brought heavenly cacao to Earth. For this blasphemous act of giving this sacred drink to humans, he was cast out of paradise. As a result, chocolate was thought as being the food of the gods, and priests often made offerings of cacao seeds to Quetzalcoatl and other deities. The Aztecs maintained the Maya method of preparation and presentation of cacao

A royal Mesoamerican drink that seals a wedding by being shared by the bridal couple in the 13th century. The Aztecs referred to this bitter, coarse and watery drink as xocoatl and shared it with Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortéz Aztec woman making cacao froth The Aztec used cacao beans as

• A turkey cock: 200 cocoa beans • A turkey hen: 100 cocoa beans • The daily wage of a porter: 100 cocoa beans • A forest rabbit: 100 cocoa beans • A small rabbit: 30 cocoa beans • A turkey egg: 3 cocoa beans • An avocado: 3 cocoa beans • A fish in maize husks: 3 cocoa beans • A large tomato: 1 cocoa • A large sapote fruit: 1

Facsimile from the Codex Mendoza (c. 1541) shows tribute that the Aztecs extracted twice a year from the cacao-growing region of in southern Mexico. Next to the jaguar skins are two loads of cacao beans, which were used as currency as well as the drink of the elite. Each is surmounted by five flag-like symbols, each of which equals 20; therefore, 200 loads were required. The objects below are two different styles of stone or ceramic bowls for drinking cacao, 400 of each The earliest European encounter with cacao: Christopher Columbus 1502 near the island of Guanaja.

In addition to its of cotton, weapons, grain, and metal objects, he noted that there were some "" which appeared to function as to the natives. Cortez meets Motecuhzoma, Nov 8, 1519

Customary protocol at the Mexìcâ court called for royal fanfare to welcome dignitaries with water for washing hands, a goblet of cacáo for setting good mood & conversation. Evolution of the word “Chocolate”

1547 1590

kakawa

cacahuatl

kakawatl

choco haa

chocolatl

chocolate

Franciscan André de Olmos, assistant to the first archbishop translates native “coatl”

to “cocoa” José de Acosta’s Historia Natural: First use of “chocolate” Chocolate enters European society

Jean-Baptiste Le Prince: The Fear François Boucher: The Breakfast It is unclear how cacao came to Europe

1528 1544 1585

Diego de Landa, 1524–1579 Bishop of Yucatán Hernán Cortez presented to Charles V The first official shipment of cocoa beans plunder from Mexico, but it is unknown Dominican friars took a delegation of Maya arrived in Seville whether cocoa was included nobles (from Guatemala) to Prince Philip of Spain. Among the presents was a container of chocolate. First Chocolate House opens in London: 1657

17th Century London Chocolate House

18th Century London Chocolate House Chocolate enters American society 1755

Chocolate Girl by Jean-Étienne Liotard, circa 1743-45

John Hanan brought cocoa beans from the to Dorchester, Massachusetts, thinking that it might be useful for medicinal purposes. Together with Dr. James Baker, they start the first chocolate factory in North America, at first to manufacture remedies for illnesses.

1839 1875

Daniel Peter and Henri Nestlé join. First to produce milk chocolate by adding powdered milk

Goat’s milk chocolate Société Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé. Removing the bitterness from chocolate

1830s

The Dutch process: • Lowers acidity • Increases solubility • Enhances color • Smooths flavor

Cocoa powder untreated Cocoa powder treated with alkaline Coenraad Johannes van Houten introduces Dutch process chocolate Making chocolate smooth and creamy 1879 Hershey: The Henry Ford of chocolate 1893 1899 WWII

First American Co. to make Started as a subsidiary of milk chocolate, and to use High melting point, low Lancaster Cuban cane (1916) sugar. Made 3 billion bars

• Weigh 4 ounces (112 g) • Be high in food energy value • Be able to withstand high temperatures • Taste "a little better than a boiled " Processing Theobroma cacao to make Chocolate

?? Processing Theobroma cacao seeds to make Chocolate The cacao pods are harvested by hand

Maya Cacao Pickers with Pruning Poles and Baskets The cacao pods sorted, bagged, and transported to the “factory” for The pods are cleaned, opened and the seeds removed Fermentation removes the outer pulp and chemically modifies the “nibs” (cotyledons)

During fermentation the temperature increases due to to microbial and yeast metabolic activity The seeds are dried in bins or mechanically The nibs are roasted and crushed

Crushing separates the shell The nibs are then ground into a thick liquid called, Some definitions

Cacao: The bean, the source of chocolate liquor, cocoa Chocolate Liquor: Produced by grinding the nib to a smooth, butter and cocoa powder liquid state. Some definitions

Cocoa Butter: The fat naturally present in cacao Cocoa or Cocoa Powder: Made by pressing most of the beans. It melts at body temperature out of the cocoa bean and grinding the rest to a powder. Chocolate effect on human physiology Health Benefits of Chocolate

• • Decreased Migraines • Arginine • , present in smaller amounts • Cardiovascular system • Dopamine • • Methylated (theobromine, caffeine & ) Aphrodisiac • Monoamine oxidase • • Oxalic acid • , an endogenous sometimes described as a 'love chemical • Anti-Oxidant • Phenylalanine • Phytates • Serotonin • Sugar • • Theobromine, the primary alkaloid in and chocolate and partly responsible for chocolate's mood-elevating effect • Theophylline • , an essential amino acid and precursor to serotonin • Tyramine, found in processed chocolate (not raw cacao) after fermentation. Anti-Oxidant properties of Chocolate

Chocolate contains over 400 bioactive molecules. It is rich in such as and and has been shown in various models to inhibit LDL oxidation and atherogenesis.

Açai cranberries cocoa pomegranate found in Chocolate

• relaxes bronchial smooth muscle Theobromine is used as a vasodilator, a A central nervous system stimulant • increases heart muscle contractility and efficiency diuretic, and heart stimulant • increases heart rate: • increases blood pressure • increases renal blood flow Dogs can succumb to • anti-inflammatory effects from as little as 50 grams (1.8 oz) of chocolate • central nervous system stimulatory effect Flavanols found in Chocolate

Epicatechin can reduce the risk of four of the major health problems: stroke, heart failure, cancer and diabetes

The catechins are abundant in teas derived from the tea as well as in chocolate. Economic impact of Chocolate Human Rights Abuses in the Chocolate

The farms of West supply cocoa to international giants such as Hershey’s, Mars and Nestlé – revealing the industry’s direct connection to child labor, human trafficking and .

Household surveys and governmental research in Côte d’Ivoire and showed that there were 1.8 million children working in cocoa . Only about 5% in Côte d’Ivoire and 10% in Ghana worked for pay. Fair Certified Champurrado, a chocolate-based atole

A chocolate-based atole, a warm and thick Mexican drink, prepared with either masa de maíz (lime-treated-corn dough), masa harina (a dried version of this dough), or corn flour. Jasmine Chocolate of the Grand Duke of Tuscany (1680)

10lb toasted cacao beans Fresh jasmine flowers 8lb white sugar 3oz “perfect” beans 4–6oz “perfect” 1/2oz ambergris

In a box, alternate layers of jasmine with layers of crushed cacao, let sit 24h. Then mix these up, and add more alternating laters of flowers and cacao, followed by the same treatment. This must be done 10 or 12 times so as to permeate the cacao with the odor of jasmine. Next, take the remaining ingredients, add them to the mixed cacao and jasmine, and grind them together on a slightly warm metate. M. St. Disdier’s Spanish Chocolate Drink, France 1692

Recipe #3 “For high taste, for those with no fear of overeating” 2lb prepared cacao 1lb fine sugar 3 drachm (1/3oz) cinnamon 1 scruple (1/24oz) powdered 1 scruple Indian pepper (chillis) 1 1/4oz vanilla 8 grains ambergris 4 grains musk

Grind the roasted cacao nibs with the sugar on a heated metate, mix in spices. To make the drink, boil 5–7oz water with 1/4oz sugar (to increase the temp). Add the chocolate and beat. Letting the mixture simmer after boiling will make the foam better.