cacao

(kə-kou', -kā'ō)

1. An evergreen tropical American tree (Theobroma cacao) having leathery, ellipsoid, ten-ribbed fruits borne on the trunks and older branches. Also called chocolate tree.
2. The seed of this plant, used in making chocolate, cocoa, and cocoa butter. Also called cacao bean, cocoa bean.

[Spanish, from Nahuatl cacahuatl.]

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Theobroma cacao, a small tropical tree (see illustration) that is cultivated for the almond-shaped seeds which are used to make chocolate. The species is native to the rainforest of the Amazon basin, and two regions of distribution in pre-Columbian times are recognized. The crop was first cultivated in Central America and northern South America, the varieties found there being known as Criollos. The second region comprises the Amazon and Orinoco basins, where the cacao populations are known as Amazonian Forastero. The second type is more commonly cultivated, particularly in Brazil, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Nigeria.

Cacao (Theobroma cacao). (USDA)

The produce is generally exported in the form of dry beans. The farmers' production is purchased by dealers and exported by registered exporters or government marketing boards. Sales are effected through contracts or futures markets, principally in New York and London. The market distinguishes between bulk and fine cocoas. The latter have preferred flavor or other characteristics and receive a price premium.

[kah-KAY-oh; kah-KAH-oh] The tropical, evergreen cacao tree is cultivated for its seeds (also called beans), from which cocoa butter, chocolate and cocoa powder are produced.

Tutor's tip: "Cacao" is a South American tree that produces seeds which are dried and used in making "cocoa," "coco" is the nut from the coconut tree, "cocoa" is a chocolate drink prepared from "cacao" beans, while a "koko" is a honey-eating bird of New Zealand.

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• Trees
• Herbs and Spices

Look up cacao in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Cacao may refer to:

• Theobroma cacao, or cocoa tree
• Cacao bean
• Cacao, French Guiana
• CACAO, a research Java Virtual Machine
• Cacao, Puerto Rico - a place in Puerto Rico
• Maria Cacao, a mountain goddess in Philippines

See also

• Cocoa (disambiguation)
• Cacau (disambiguation)

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