Where does co-coa come from?

Answer 1

Cocoa is the dried, fermented bean of Theobroma cacao, from which cocoa solids and cocoa butter are extracted. The cocoa fruit or pod has a rough, leathery rind about 3 cm thick. It is filled with baba de cacao, a sweet, gelatinous pulp surrounding 30 to 50 large seeds that are fairly soft and white to a pale lavender color. Workers typically use machetes to open the harvested pods and expose the beans. They remove the pulp and cocoa seeds and discard the rind. They then pile the pulp and seeds in heaps, bins, or grates for four to seven days and mix them every two days. During this time, the seeds and pulp "sweat": the thick pulp liquefies as it ferments, and then trickles away, leaving the cocoa seeds behind. Sweating reduces the bitterness of the beans, removes their "raw potato" flavor, and makes them less susceptible to mildew. The fermented beans are then spread out over a large surface and constantly raked for five to fourteen days to dry. During this time, the seeds become violet or reddish brown. The beans are later roasted in a factory, cracked, and then shelled. The resulting pieces of beans are called nibs. Most nibs are ground, using various methods, into a thick creamy paste, known as chocolate liquor or cocoa paste. This "liquor" is then further processed into 50% cocoa butter and 50% cocoa powder. Treating with alkali produces Dutch process cocoa powder, which is less acidic, darker, and more mellow in flavor than what is generally available in most of the world.

The cacao tree may have originated in the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America, current day Venezuela, where wild cacao still grows. The Olmecs cultivated it by 1500 BC in equatorial Mexico, and were likely the first humans to consume cocoa. They crushed the cocoa beans, mixed them with water and added spices, chili peppers, and herbs. The Mayans (600 BC) also cultivated cocoa, and used it in religious rituals dedicated to Chak ek Chuah, the Mayan deity of cocoa. The Aztecs (400 AD) used cocoa in rituals dedicated to Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god responsible for bringing the cocoa tree to man. Both later cultures used cocoa as an offering at the funerals of noblemen. The cocoa bean was used as a monetary unit and as a measuring unit. The Chimimeken people levied taxes in the form of cocoa beans against conquered Aztecs and Mayans regions. Cocoa production advanced as people migrated throughout Meso-America but consumption of the drink remained a privilege for the upper classes and for soldiers during battle. For these civilizations, cocoa was a symbol of abundance.

In 1502, Columbus saw cocoa beans on a canoe in Nicaragua, but its true importance was not recognized until Hernando Cortez drank it with the Aztec emperor Montezuma, and brought it back to the Spanish court in 1528 along with the equipment necessary for brewing it. Following the downfall of the Aztec civilization, Cortez intensified cultivation efforts in New Spain, with the intention of developing a trade with Europe. The Spanish court soon adapted it to their taste, adding cane sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and pepper. Initially Spain reserved cocoa for its exclusive use, carefully guarding its existence from the rest of the world. English pirates confirmed that the rest of Europe remained unfamiliar with chocolate. In 1579, one English pirate ship burned an entire Spanish shipload of cacao beans, under the impression that they were sheep droppings. In 1585, the first regular cargo of cocoa beans arrived on the Iberian Peninsula from New Spain, launching the trade in cocoa.

During the 17th century, cocoa began arriving in other ports throughout Europe. Chocolate beverages were first enjoyed by the French court following the royal marriage of King Louis XIII to the Spanish Princess Anne of Austria in 1615. In 1650 chocolate beverages first appeared in England, along with tea from China and coffee from the Middle East. For many years, it remained a treat reserved for the upper classes. In 1765, North America discovered the virtues of cocoa. In 1776, the French began using a hydraulic process to grind cocoa beans into a paste, facilitating the first large-scale production of chocolate. In 1828, Dutch Chemist Coenraad van Houten invented a process for extracting cocoa butter, allowing for the extraction of cocoa powder. Cacao trees will grow in a limited geographical zone, of approximately 20 degrees to the north and south of the Equator. In 1870, Tetteh Quarshie traveled from his home in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) to the island of Fernando Po (now Bioko in Equatorial Guinea) in 1870 and returned in 1876 to introduce the crop. The cultivation of cocoa in Africa led to the slow decline of production in South America. Since the start of the 20th century, Africa has become the biggest cocoa producer. Nearly 70% of the world crop is grown in West Africa.
cocoa comes from the cocoa tree seed which is prosessed to make chocolate
cocoa come from south America
it came from south America