cocoa bean
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A cocoa bean is the fatty seed from the cacao plant that forms the foundation of chocolate production. It matters because this single ingredient is essential to making the chocolate products that are consumed worldwide.
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The cocoa bean, also known as cocoa (/ˈkoʊ.koʊ/) or cacao (/kəˈkaʊ/), is the dried and fully fermented seed of Theobroma cacao, the cacao tree. Due to its high fat content, the bean can be ground into a liquor, from which cocoa butter and cocoa powder are extracted. Cacao trees are native to the Amazon rainforest. They are the basis of chocolate and Mesoamerican foods including tejate, an indigenous Mexican drink.
The cacao tree was first domesticated at least 5,300 years ago by the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in South America before it was introduced in Mesoamerica. Cacao was consumed by pre-Hispanic cultures in spiritual ceremonies, and its beans were a common currency in Mesoamerica. The cacao tree grows in a limited geographical zone; today, West Africa produces nearly 81% of the world's crop. The three main varieties of cocoa plants are Forastero, Criollo, and Trinitario, with Forastero being the most widely used.
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ChocolateCocoa productionComponents of chocolateCrops originating from EcuadorCrops originating from indigenous AmericansCrops originating from MexicoCrops originating from North AmericaCrops originating from PeruCrops originating from Pre-Columbian North AmericaCrops originating from South AmericaEdible nuts and seedsFree-content attribution