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Cocoa – Where Does it Come From & How Healthy is The Bean?

Is cocoa found only in chocolate? Is cocoa really unhealthy? What exactly is cocoa?

What exactly is cocoa?

Cocoa describes a variety of things. At the very beginning is the cocoa tree. This ripens particularly in sunny areas and bears the so-called cocoa pods. Once these have matured, they can be opened. Inside are the pulp and seeds. We know the latter in this country as cocoa beans. At the beginning, however, the seeds look very different – rather soft, light and white in colour.
Only the fermentation ensures that these transform into our classic brown cocoa beans. During this fermentation process, certain substances are released that later provide the chocolate flavor we crave when the beans are roasted. After that, a wide range of products such as cocoa drinks, chocolate or even cosmetics can now be manufactured.

Where is cocoa grown?

Similar to the coffee plant, the cocoa tree also needs a very special environment in order to thrive perfectly and blossom fully. The tropical heat around the equator is best suited for this. More than 40 countries around the world are now dedicated to the cultivation of cocoa. There are numerous growing areas, particularly in Asia, Latin America and Africa. However, around 75 percent of the total harvest comes from South Africa. The following countries are among the areas with the strongest cultivation areas:
Peru
Ivory Coast
Indonesia
Nigeria
Nicaragua
Papa New Guinea
Ghana
Brazil
Incidentally, the cocoa tree must never stand in direct sunlight. Therefore, the plants are often grown in the protection of the rainforest or planted together with mixed cultures such as coconut palms or citrus fruits, which cast shadows over the cocoa trees with their leaves.

These types of cocoa exist

Incidentally, there are four major types of cocoa beans, between which a distinction is made:
criollo
Trinity
Forastero
Arriba
The Forastero cocoa is generally considered to be the most well-known variety and is the most cultivated worldwide. But the other cocoas can also be found in the trade and offer various advantages depending on preference and taste. Incidentally, the seeds of the cocoa tree contain a large number of healthy ingredients. However, most of these are lost during drying (fermentation) and subsequent roasting. First of all, however, it should be said that the remaining ingredients also make cocoa a real super food.

How healthy is cocoa now?

As is almost always the case with cocoa, “It depends”. Cocoa can be divided into two categories. On the one hand there is the natural cocoa, which as pure cocoa powder has up to 350 calories per 100 grams. These are caused in particular by the fat content in raw cocoa. On the other side is the industrially produced cocoa. Here the calorie content can vary greatly and depends on the extent to which the powder has been de-oiled and sugared. With a cocoa content of mostly less than 25 percent and a high amount of sugar, this variant often has twice the number of calories as natural cocoa.

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Cooking Tips

Ruby Cocoa Bean: That’s Why Pink Chocolate Exists

Ruby chocolate is considered the fourth type of chocolate and impresses with its rich pink – without any coloring. Here you can find out what the fruity chocolate is all about.

Some describe the Ruby chocolate, which has been available since 2018, as a new chocolate sensation, because no new type of chocolate has been introduced after the white variant for a good 80 years. Ruby chocolate is characterized by its natural pink color and berry flavor – without any synthetic additives.

Ruby Chocolate: History and Uses

 

The pink cocoa bean was discovered by chance: a team of Swiss researchers examined cocoa pods from different growing regions for the world’s largest cocoa and chocolate manufacturer, Barry Callebaut. They came across pink cocoa beans that had a fruitier taste. After several years of research, special processes were developed that allowed the beans to retain their characteristic pink color even after fermentation and roasting. In addition, manufacturers add citric acid to the beans. This should also help to preserve the colour. In contrast, the seeds of the cacao fruit turn brown in the classic chocolate production.

However, the so-called ruby ​​bean is not a special type of cocoa bean. Instead, traditional varieties such as Criollo, Trinitario and Forrastero are also used here. They come from the cocoa-growing regions of Brazil, Ecuador, Ghana and the Ivory Coast. Special test procedures have to be used to determine whether the respective beans are suitable for Ruby chocolate.

In terms of taste, the chocolate is characterized by its fresh, sour note and tastes berry-fruity. In contrast, the typical cocoa taste of dark chocolate is less pronounced. You can use the chocolate like conventional varieties – it is suitable both for snacking and for chocolate coating, for light mousse desserts or as a baking ingredient. A delicious recipe idea with ruby ​​chocolate, for example, are quick ruby ​​coconut pralines. You can find the recipe for it below.

Buying Ruby chocolate: you should know that

Ruby chocolate is now also available from us. You can find them in well-stocked supermarkets or in online shops – both in pure form and as an ingredient in sweets and bars.

Since the special manufacturing process is a well-kept secret of the Belgian chocolate manufacturer Callebaut, Ruby products have so far been based exclusively on Callebaut chocolate. There is no organic or fair trade certification, which is actually very important for cocoa products.

However, the manufacturer itself states that it only uses sustainably produced cocoa beans that have been processed as part of the Cocoa Horizon program. According to the manufacturer, UTZ certification is possible on request. Nevertheless, this does not come close to the requirements and controls of Fairtrade seals. If you want to use Ruby chocolate, you should only do so in moderation and use organic fair trade chocolate in everyday life.

There is currently no vegan Ruby variant. Callebaut’s classic Ruby chocolate is made up of at least 47.3 percent cocoa and at least 26.3 percent milk solids.

Ruby Coconut Chocolates: A quick recipe

 

Ingredients:

100g coconut butter
50 g maple syrup
50 g grated coconut
0.5 tsp salt
150 gRuby chocolate

Directions:

Melt the coconut butter in a water bath or in the microwave (note: coconut milk or coconut oil will not work here).
Add maple syrup, coconut flakes and salt and mix all ingredients.
Place the mixture in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Melt the ruby chocolate in a water bath.
Form about ten balls from the mixture and cover them with the melted ruby chocolate.
You can store the balls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.

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Food

Use Pure Cocoa for Hot Chocolate

When it’s freezing cold outside, hot cocoa warms body and soul. For an intense chocolaty taste, those with a sweet tooth should reach for pure cocoa and stir it into their hot chocolate.

Pure cocoa for hot chocolate

Many use instant cocoa powder for their cocoa drink. But this often contains added sugar and not only tastes pretty sweet but also provides more calories. However, the more figure-friendly and delicious variant is the one with pure cocoa.

If the pure cocoa powder is used for hot chocolate, the drink scores with valuable ingredients such as magnesium, potassium, and iron. It is also rich in protein and contains fiber. The slightly bitter taste of the cocoa can be neutralized by the protein and fat in the milk – a dash of honey will delight those with a sweet tooth.

Prepare properly

The hot chocolate will be perfect if the milk is only heated to medium and not boiled. If you keep stirring, you prevent the formation of milky skin. Just one tablespoon of pure cocoa provides half a liter of milk with an intense chocolaty taste.

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health

The Healthy Effect of Cocoa as a Miracle Cure

The healthy effects of cocoa on body and mind. We will show you which home remedies you can use to use cocoa as a medicinal plant. The brown bean cocoa as a miracle cure is good for the body and mind.

The Mayas and Aztecs already knew cocoa as the “food of the gods” and used it for their rituals around 1,500 BC. The drink was mixed without sugar, only with water and chili, and drunk as a strengthening and medicine. It was reserved for priests and warriors only. But even today you can use the healthy effect of the delicious bean for beauty and household tips.

The positive ingredients of cocoa

Since raw cocoa contains many positive ingredients, it is considered very healthy. The important substances contained include calcium, magnesium, and iron. These minerals benefit our bodies by strengthening our bones, providing energy to our muscles, and promoting oxygen transport to our bodies. In addition, the antioxidants contained in raw cocoa are important for protecting our body cells. The following areas of application also speak in favor of the benefits of soothing cocoa:

1) A good pick-me-up

It doesn’t always have to be coffee in the morning. Raw cocoa also contains caffeine and flavonoids, which get our circulation going. The theobromine it contains has a similar stimulating effect on the heartbeat and pulse. This ensures that the blood is pumped through our veins faster and increases activity and concentration. Cocoa is not only a pick-me-up for a healthy start to the day, but is now used at some parties in the form of raw cocoa as a healthy stimulant for dancing the night away. Our tip: subtly sweetened raw cocoa with a pinch of chili, like the old South American cultures used to drink, gives even morning grouches the necessary kick. Also a good pick-me-up: special properties of matcha tea.

2) Cramp reliever for period pain

Many women get a craving for chocolate during their menstrual period. But are you right with your intuition? After all, cocoa is one of the best sources of magnesium among foods, as there are 545 grams of magnesium in 100 grams of cocoa alone. Magnesium is not only good for the heart and metabolism but also relaxes the muscles and is, above all, antispasmodic. Magnesium also prevents migraines and ensures communication between nerve cells, which is why chocolate can be described as “nerve food” for good reason.

But be careful: Industrial sugar and dairy products are not beneficial during the period, which is why you should use dark chocolate. This has a lower sugar content and often even does without milk components. Warm cocoa with oat or almond milk is a good home remedy for period cramp discomfort.

3) Natural mood enhancer

Cocoa puts you in a good mood. The amino acid tryptophan contained in raw cocoa and the plant alkaloid salsolinol are also used as an antidepressant. Tryptophan is also found in bananas and dates and releases the happiness hormone serotonin. The salsolinol in cocoa creates euphoria by producing dopamine. How about a power smoothie made from bananas, dates, almond milk, and raw cocoa? Instead of industrial sugar, bananas and dates provide a natural fruit sweetness. If you want something to spoon, you can add some chia seeds and spoon the healthy happiness. But there are other natural antidepressants and mood enhancers as well.

4) Slim down with cocoa

Eat chocolate and lose weight? Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Commercially available chocolate usually has little cocoa, but too much industrial sugar. In the meantime, however, there is also raw chocolate with a high cocoa content on the market, which is sweetened with the birch sugar xylitol, which is healthy for the teeth and figure. There is also chocolate with coconut blossom sugar. If you make your own chocolate, you can decide which ingredients to use.

You can find cocoa nibs in more and more shops. The small sprinkles made of raw chocolate are suitable for nibbling or sweetening some natural yogurt or chia pudding, which satisfies the craving for chocolate but does not absorb industrial sugar or fat. Due to the tart taste, people consume it more consciously and less, and cocoa also has an appetite-suppressing effect, promotes blood circulation, and stimulates fat breakdown.

5) Wash your hair with cocoa

Washing hair without shampoo? You can smear this in your hair! So-called dry shampoos for greasy hair are a good alternative to conventional shampoos, have no harmful additives, and consist of simple home remedies such as cocoa with low oil content. Simply apply the heavily de-oiled cocoa carefully to the hairline with a powder brush, leave it on for a short time and then brush the hair out well over the sink. If you like, you can add a tablespoon of baking soda to the cocoa powder and pass the mixture through a fine sieve before applying. You can easily make your own shampoo.

6) Coloring gray hair

If you want to darken your color or make gray hair disappear, you can also use the delicious bean: Simply mix half a cup of highly de-oiled cocoa powder with a cup of natural yogurt and add a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. After washing, apply this mass to well-dried hair, wait five minutes and rinse. But cocoa is not only good for the hair on the outside: cocoa beans contain iron and zinc and ensure that the scalp is well supplied with blood. Here you will find more home remedies and tips for coloring your hair yourself.

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Food

Carob: An Alternative to Cocoa

Carob is the powder from the dried fruit of the carob tree. It is considered a healthy alternative to cocoa. But what is the health value of carob and what are the advantages and disadvantages of carob compared to cocoa?

The carob tree is widespread in the Mediterranean region and in the Near East and belongs to the legume family. Long, curved pods that are almost black in color hang from the branches. These are the fruits of the tree.

Each pod contains up to 15 seeds, separated from each other by the pulp, the so-called “carob”. In its regions of origin, carob is often eaten raw, but in local organic markets carob is mainly found dried and ground as a powder.

Carob powder has a fruity-sweet caramel flavor and can therefore serve as a tasty and less bitter alternative to cocoa. You can use carob the same way you use cocoa powder, for example to make hot “chocolate” or “chocolate” pudding or to bake a marble cake. In addition, carob powder has a few advantages that speak in favor of swapping out cocoa for carob from time to time.

Carob: that’s what makes it so healthy

Carob scores in several ways from a health perspective:
Carob is nutrient rich. It contains vitamins A and B as well as the minerals iron and calcium.
Carob is almost fat-free, but rich in dietary fiber and insoluble phytochemicals.
According to a study, this means that the consumption of a carob extract can cause a short-term reduction in blood lipid levels and boost fat burning.
The roughage together with the naturally contained sugar ensure that carob is a good supplier of energy.
Carob is also very low in calories: 100 grams contain around 255 kilocalories, while 100 grams of cocoa powder contain 350 kilocalories.
Unlike cocoa, carob does not contain any stimulating substances like caffeine or theobromine. So it is also suitable for children.

Conclusion: cocoa or carob – which is better?

Carob tastes sweeter and less bitter than cocoa, but can be used in the same way. Unlike cacao, carob does not contain any stimulating substances that some people are sensitive to. In addition, carob can be a more sustainable choice than cocoa: the carob tree is less sensitive, does not need as much water and also grows in southern Europe. From a health and ecological point of view, it is therefore worth trying carob as an alternative to cocoa.

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Food

Sweet Revolution – Stand Up for Fair Cocoa!

From biscuits to bars to pralines, the selection of chocolate products is huge, as is the demand: consumers in Europe eat around nine kilograms per capita and per year. Often without knowing the questionable conditions under which cocoa is grown. To change that, Fairtrade is launching the Sweet Revolution, a protest campaign for fair cocoa. Join us!

In everyday life, many chocolate lovers think more about the calorie content of their favorite bar of chocolate than about the origin of the cocoa beans. Extreme poverty, exploitation and child labor are part of the bitter reality of cocoa cultivation. About 14 million people make their living from the production of cocoa – mainly smallholder families who cultivate less than five hectares of land. The small area under cultivation alone drives many of them into poverty, so that they can hardly live from cocoa cultivation alone. In addition, there are extreme price fluctuations: raw cocoa is traded on the world market in London and New York, where there is always speculation on prices. All too often the producers have to sell their cocoa below value.

West Africa, the heart of the chocolate industry

Most of the world’s cocoa – over 60 percent – comes from West Africa, especially from Ghana and the Ivory Coast. In both countries, exploitative child labor is a major problem. Experts from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (NORC) estimate that there are over two million children involved in cocoa cultivation. Child labor is more widespread today than it was ten years ago.

The chocolate industry has been promising for years that it will fight child exploitation. After all, who wants to enjoy chocolate for which children are sent to the fields instead of to school?

Cacao cultivation: hard work that hardly pays off

One of the main causes of exploitative child labor is the far too low income. Cocoa producers in Ivory Coast earn just 67 cents on average per capita and per day. This is the result of a study by Fairtrade International. The study not only calculates what farmers actually earn, but also what they would have to get in order to receive a living income. In other words, an income that covers the cost of food, water, housing, education, health, transport, clothing and other essential needs – including saving for emergencies. For this, the workers would have to receive at least 2.13 euros per capita and per day.

Even Fairtrade-certified cocoa farmers still get too little. In order to benefit from fair trade, cooperatives usually have to sell at least 30 to 40 percent of their goods under fair trade conditions. Although the market for fair trade cocoa has developed enormously in recent years, demand should increase significantly. Fairtrade cocoa currently has a market share of 17 percent.

You think that’s not enough? Then join us and stand up for fair cocoa.

Take part and win until December 6th

Together with Fairtrade you can support the people who pick the cocoa beans for your chocolate. In an online competition, Fairtrade is looking for the best protest slogans for fair cocoa enjoyment. With just a few clicks and a little creativity, you can become an online activist for sustainable cocoa yourself. It’s that easy:

Get creative and design your message for more fairness in the cocoa sector alone, with your friends, acquaintances, at school, in a club or at university.
Share your creative protest slogan via social media.
Activate your environment and collect votes for your slogan. The slogan with the most votes wins.

The internationally renowned street artist Boogie interprets the ten best slogans on a protest wall, the Wall of Fair. With this we will make your protest against unfair cocoa trade on December 10th, the day of human rights, heard in the Berlin government district. Boogie even pays a personal visit to the most creative slogan author and creates an individual work of art live on site.

Second and third place winners can also look forward to smaller boogie artworks of their own protest slogan. Fairtrade surprise boxes packed with fair chocolate products are raffled off for places four to ten.

Dah Oha – cocoa farmer, mother and power woman

Stories like that of the cocoa farmer Dah Oho Gboklela from Gogoko, a small village about 50 kilometers from the Ivorian coast, show the difference that fair trade can make for producers: Due to the early death of his father, Dah Oho has to take responsibility early on. Because the debt money is too expensive, she begins an apprenticeship as a hairdresser before taking over the family’s small cocoa field together with her brother. When she marries, she is granted her own piece of land – not a matter of course in the Ivory Coast, where only 20 percent of landowners are women. She joins the fair trade cooperative ECAKOOG, gets more money for her cocoa and gets tips on how to fertilize properly. This increases earnings and thus earnings. With the help of the Fairtrade premium money, the cooperative also supports its members financially in financing school fees.

For every tonne of cocoa that Dah Oho sells under fair trade conditions, she receives a fixed minimum price, which must not be undercut. Not even if market prices collapse. The minimum prices cover the costs of sustainable production and enable necessary investments in new plants, crop protection or equipment. However, the money is not enough to secure the existence of the family. Like many cocoa producers, Dah Oho can only sell part of their harvest on fair terms. The remaining cocoa is traded on the exchange at the prices specified there. A business that is hardly worthwhile, as the mother of four children explains. She wishes for a better future for her children away from the cocoa trade. They should go to school, become civil servants and later not have to go to the fields – at least not when prices are so low.

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