GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE COCOA BEANS
Cocoa beans, an Amazonian tree that is specific to a bean wrapped in red cocoa trees grown melon fruit size. This fruit is also called cacao pod. Four thousand years ago, the Aztecs by collecting the seeds of cocoa fruit, roasted in clay pots, then pounded into powder, sugar, water, and fluids they consume as a drink. This drink Aztecs according to their own mythology "Out of the goodness of evil in heaven," which means "TCHOCOATL" he would say.
The Cocoa Production
Cocoa trees grown in tropical regions produce about 40 valuable cocoa beans in each fruit when they reach fruiting maturity in 4-5 years in moist and high potassium soils. Today, the countries that produce the most are; In addition to the Ivory Coast, which provides 30% of the world's cocoa supply, countries in hot, rainy tropical regions such as Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Brazil, and Honduras, located at 20° latitude to the Equatorial belt.
The difference between the Natural Cocoa Beans and the Cocoa Powder
Natural cocoa beans are obtained by drying the collected cocoa fruits in the sun naturally. Cocoa powder; It is the product remaining after the cocoa butter obtained by drying and pressing the natural cocoa beans obtained after a certain fermentation process.
Benefits of Cocoa
In the early years, it made its journey to Europe as a miracle demanded by kings and nobles with its effect of reducing stress and beautifying the skin besides its aphrodisiac effect and spread rapidly from the new world to the old world. When cocoa first came to Europe, it was a drug sold in pharmacies as an expensive drug that was good for fatigue, gave a high energy, reduced the effects of depression and depression, and gave happiness and pleasure.
What are cocoa beans used for?
Cocoa Bean was once even used as money by the Mayans and Aztecs. The process of making cocoa beans a part of industrial production in the modern world order begins with the Spaniards using cocoa beans in solid form, similar to chocolate, and with the Swedes using milk instead of water, the first steps of today's form of chocolate have been taken. Today, only 2.8 billion kilograms of chocolate is consumed annually in the USA.
Apart from industrial consumption, the consumption of natural cocoa beans in our daily life has been increasing rapidly in recent years. Natural cocoa beans; As a snack such as a snack, broken into pieces in a mortar, fruit plates, desserts and even as a condiment in salads, milkshakes, smoothie-style drinks; It is used as a flavoring agent in breakfast foods such as pancakes and cakes.
Cocoa Production in Honduras
Cocoa production in Honduras is small globally, but Honduran cocoa has superior genetic quality. Honduran cocoa is used in quality chocolates in Switzerland, which is the leading country in the production of quality chocolate in the world.
Cocoa production in Honduras is carried out on approximately 1,500 farms, almost all smaller than two hectares, on the north coast of the country. These cocoa farms are produced with traditional and organic farming practices and fermentation and drying procedures. It is encouraged to plant yeast trees such as mango, rambutan and avocado, which are important for organic cocoa, in cocoa fields.
Good quality Honduran cocoa is not easily available in the world cocoa market, as producers with low educational quality are incapable of communication and marketing, and large buyers do not focus much on Honduran cocoa due to insufficient production capacity for the global market.
After the project initiated in 2011 by the Honduran Cocoa Producers Association (APROCACAHO), Honduras Agricultural Research Foundation in cooperation with international certification bodies to train farmers and their unions on the procedures required for organic certification and fair trade labeling, organic certified Honduran cocoas have started to take their place in the world market. .