The Chocolate Tree

Cocoa ö Theobroma cacao

 

Over a thousand years ago somewhere in Central America, an Aztec Indian picked an odd, football-shaped fruit from the trunk and branches of a medium size, smooth-barked tree of the rainforest. Maybe the fruit, encased in a hard fibrous pod, was past its prime ö the normally refreshing white pulp slightly fermented, and the almond like seeds, or beans, dried out. Possibly the Indian splits the seed, or tosses the entire fruit, into the fire to cook. As the beans roast he was captivated by the aroma that we now associate with hot cocoa, freshly baked chocolate cake or hot fudge, perhaps this is the birth of humankindâs millennia-old love affair with chocolate (Young, 1994).

Although it is unknown exactly how or when cocoa was discovered in the wild, its thought that the Aztec and Maya Indians, who called it the Îfood of the godsâ, cultivated it for centuries before the discovery of the Western Hemisphere (Krug etal, 1964). It is also believed that the cocoa tree (Theobroma cacao) originated from the headwaters of the Amazon Basin and in early times was spread throughout the central part of Amazonia ö Guiana, westward and northward to the south of Mexico (Wood, 1975). Today the tree is also found in other tropical areas of the world, such as West Africa, notably Nigeria, Ghana and the Ivory coast, which produce two thirds of the total world crop of 2 million tons per year (Bendicks).

The first European to discover this delicacy now known as cocoa was Columbus although the Spaniard Hern«n Cortes was the first person to bring the cocoa seed back to Europe in 1519, where it was considered a luxury drink by the West Europe counts (Bendicks). It wasnât until 1657 however, that cocoa was introduced to England, having already been used in Italy, Austria and France (Encarta, 1996). The cocoa bean drink was originally roasted and then ground and mixed with maize and annatto, chile or some other spice, this mixture made a thick drink and was known as chocolatl. Cadbury (1896) also said that the Spaniards decorated their cocoa with chile peppers, anise, achiote, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, almonds and hazelnuts, pod of campeche, ambergris, powdered white roses, and orange water. In this form chocolate became the first non-alcoholic stimulant drink on the European continent (Young, 1994). Eventually the Spaniards realized that the cocoa bean could be made into quite a delicious drink when mixed with sugar and seasoned it with cinnamon, it was this form of the drink that became popular in Spain and Europe (Wood, 1975).

Uses of the cocoa bean since its discovery have been many and varied, in the early sixteenth century the beans were not only used for making drinks but also for currency, payment of tribute to Aztec overlords, and was also used in various rituals and for medicinal purposes (Wood, 1975). The cocoa bean today is still in high demand of its sweet chocolate uses, as well as cocoa butter, cocoa powder and cocoa paste. The wastes of the chocolate making process are also being looked at for their potential uses; these include cocoa pulp and pod husks. Such things being experimented with include the pod husks being used for cattle feed the gum from the pod husks are currently being explored for uses such as binders for products like as pet food, emulsifiers, and fixatives (Figueira, 1993). In earlier times the cocoa pulp was also used as a beverage by South American natives (Young, 1994).

The correct establishment of the cocoa tree into plantations is important in obtaining the desired yields of the cocoa bean. Trees are grown in intervals of 3m X 3m and planting uses clonal material. The density of plants per hectare for a monoculture is 1241 plants per hectare or if intercroped with coconut the density is 750 ö 850 plants per hectare. Shade trees are also essential for the cocoa tree survival; these are planted also at 3m X 3m intervals between the cocoa trees. Species used as shade trees include Gliricidia, Leucaeria and Erthrina. Shade trees are pruned as the cocoa tree size increases, pruning of the cocoa tree is also important in order to train the tree to grow in the desired shape and height. Pruning also allows good air and light circulation and decreases the incidence of pest and disease infestation and increases the chance of achieving a desired higher yield. The final important factor in plantation establishment and management is water management. The main factor here is the need for properly constructed infield drainage (Department of Agriculture Malaysia).

The Harvesting of cocoa today is still done much the same to how it was done by the Aztecs (Bendicks). The plants start to bear fruit at 18 ö 30 months after planting, the immature pod is a green or red colour turning to a yellow or orangish colour at maturity, and it is now that the pod is harvested. Pods should be regularly removed from the tree and not allowed to over ripen. After the pod has been harvested it is cut open and the beans are extracted. Care has to be taken during this process not to damage to bean. The wet cocoa beans should undergo fermentation for 7 days to kill the seed and enhance the chocolate taste. After this the beans are dried under the sun or using a mechanized drier, then the beans are stored. When storing the bean gunnysacks should be used and they should be stacked on raised platforms in order avoid dampening and the chance of fungus attack. Finally the bean is graded before being taken off to create the desired end product (Department of Agriculture Malaysia).

Bendicks, The history of chocolate, http://www.bendicks.co.uk/history/chocolate.html

Department of Agriculture Malaysia, Industrial Crop Technologies http://agrolink.moa.my/doa/english/croptech/cocotech.html

Figueira, A., J. Janick, and J.N. BeMiller. 1993. New products from Theobroma cacao: Seed pulp and pod gum. p.475-478. In: J. Janick and J.E. Simon (eds.), New crops. Wiley, New York. http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/v2-475.html