The Latin name of cocoa is “Theobromo Cacao”. That is “food of the gods”. Since its inception, it has been used to treat a variety of diseases. According to various sources, the Ula Valley in Honduras is where cocoa originated. The true cradle of chocolate may have been in this tiny village, according to historians. The Mayans are known as the first people to use cocoa in agriculture. They also placed the foundation of their religion on the cocoa tree. In the Mayans, the cacao tree represents the sacred tree planted during the Dark Ages to signify the four directions of the wind before the arrival of sunny times.
In fact, cocoa is used as currency in the Maya and Aztecs, where slavery reigned. At that time; 1 cocoa bean = 1 tomato, 4 cocoa beans = 1 pumpkin, 10 cocoa beans = 1 rabbit, 100 cocoa beans = 1 slave.
Eg. Today, an average of 110 grams, that is, one tablet of chocolate, is obtained from 100 cocoa beans.
With the decline of the Mayans, cocoa begins to lose its value. It later regains its former value in Aztec civilization. At the end of the 14th century, during the discoveries of Christopher Columbus, cocoa was given to him by the Aztecs.
After that, the journey of cocoa and chocolate to Europe begins. Cocoa expands into Spain. Cores are processed with Aztec techniques. Although it is processed for its economic value at first, it is later used as a medicine. Again, the first cocoa drink is made in Spain and its secret is kept from all over the world. It is not a secret that cocoa, which is later added to sugar cane, honey and cinnamon, becomes chocolate and spreads all over the world.
Our current chocolate recipe is based on the flavor and aromas they developed. Vee chocolates that will conquer the world are thus beginning to emerge.
This invention, with the development of the industry and the increase in cocoa production, has stepped up and turned into the tablet (solid) chocolates we see. Chocolate came out of tiny shops and started to be produced in large factories. Cocoa crafting unfortunately became increasingly cheap and brutal. Cocoa and chocolate gradually lost their value in the medical world. It has become the indispensable food of pleasure and pleasure.
After the historical process, now let’s come to how it was obtained…
History of Chocolate
HOW IS COCOA PRODUCED ?
Cocoa is the huge fruit of the cacao tree. Growing and fruiting these trees require a lot of effort. Cocoa workers look after these trees as if they were raising a baby.
Constant temperatures and the same soil type are needed to grow trees and obtain quality fruits. The resulting fruits are in different colors and sizes. There are approximately 50-60 seeds in a ripe cocoa fruit. Cocoa is obtained from these beans, which we know from its sweet smell.
Cocoa is one of the rare plants that does not become fabricated until it is harvested. Because the fruits grow attached to the trunk of the trees. It needs to be kept under constant control. Cocoa cultivation is very common, especially in small farms in Africa. The families living here produce cocoa with all their members and earn their living from it.
Now it’s time to learn how to make chocolate.
The factory receives the cocoa beans, which are collected and dried by a thousand and one workers. To begin, large sieves are used to remove impurities like branches and stones. Then it goes under a giant machine and is exposed to high heat. This step is very important to ensure that they are separated from their shells more easily. The cocoa beans, whose shells are starting to peel off slightly, go under a machine called a separator.
The Origins of Chocolate Here the kernels pass through the sieve, the shells and other parts are completely separated. Cocoa in this state is called “cocoa powder”. This cocoa will then be roasted to improve its quality. It is important that the meaty parts of the bean are well roasted. It loses its quality and has a bitter taste when over-roasted. However, in this condition, the beans cannot become chocolate. It is necessary to turn from solid to liquid, slightly solidify and back to liquid and finally back to solid state. Cocoa goes under a grinding machine again and becomes what is called “cocoa liquor”. Cocoa butter is released in the liquefied cocoa.
Since the melting point of cocoa butter is slightly below body temperature, it gives the chocolate its melt-in-the-mouth consistency. But the existence of cocoa and cocoa butter alone does not create the chocolate that we adore. It once more goes through the booster. The lumpy, sticky dough becomes dry, powdery and smooth at this stage. The powder that comes out is the cocoa powder that we use in our cookies and cakes. This powder passes through a high-temperature instrument again, and is stirred for hours, sometimes for days depending on its quality. In a sense, it is left to infuse in its own juice. At the end of this process, it becomes liquid again. He gets rid of his pain.
