Category: On Chocolate

While trying to make my own chocolate at home, I wanted to buy some chocolate beans. To my surprise, I found out that there aren’t many places that sell chocolate beans, be it online or actual stores. What I did find was several places selling cacao nibs! It was then that I started to wonder about the difference between cacao beans and cacao nibs. Therefore, I did some research and here is what I found out:

Cacao beans is the actual bean inside of the cacao fruit (as you can see in the picture above), which should first be fermented and then roasted in order for us to obtain the cacao nibs. The nibs are inside the beans covered by a light shell which is peeled off to extract the nibs (as you can see in the pictures below). The nibs are then used to make cacao powder, cacao paste, and chocolate bars which we enjoy in different shapes and flavors.

After obtaining this information, another question raised itself, “what happens to the cacao shells, and how can i use them?”

Well, as it turns out, the shells are usually thrown away and very few people use it along with the nibs to make chocolate. But the most interesting thing I found about the shells was that recently the cacao industry started using them as fuel for their factories to save energy and decrease cost of production.

Other important found about the cacao shells is that it is used as a bio recyclable paper  packaging after been processing. Ideal for bakery and confectionery creations, this packaging material sets the standard in gourmet and eco-efficient packaging.The same technology can also be applied to other botanicals, such as coffee, tea and coconut.

Additionally, the cacao shells can be process to obtain an extract rich in antioxidant that could be used as a potential ingredient in beverages and food. They are considered as a source of pectin which is not only used as a gelling agent in food but also by pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Finally, it is used as mulch in gardens to add nutrients to soil and suppress weeds.  

I hope that with this small article now everyone who has had the same questions like me are clear about the difference and the use of the cacao beans,  nibs and its shells.

All throughout your life you have probably had someone telling you about how bad chocolate is for you and how it is not healthy. You must have heard how it makes you gain weight, get acne, increase blood sugar thus increasing the possibility of diabetes and other diseases and so on and so forth.

This is why I have decided to do a little bit more research about this topic and discover if all these allegations are factually true or is chocolate being unjustly accused.

As it turns out, eating chocolate can be either good or bad, but this certainly depends on the type of chocolate you are eating, the amount of sugar and fat it has, as well as the quantity and frequency of consumption.

Realising that with chocolate’s bad reputation, not many people know about how beneficial it can be for your health, if taken in moderation of course.

Therefore, I would like to focus in this article on the benefits of eating chocolate which is all backed by proper research from different sources.

Chocolate is believed to contain high levels of antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that can prevent or slow damage to cells caused by free radicals, unstable molecules that the body produces as a reaction to environmental and other pressures.

A research published in The BMJ which is a medical journal based in London, suggests that consuming chocolate could help lower the risk of developing heart disease by one-third.

Other studies published in The Journal of Nutrition, have suggested chocolate could lower cholesterol levels, prevent memory decline, as well as reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems. This study suggests: “Regular consumption of chocolate bars containing PS (plant sterols) and CF (cocoa flavanols), as part of a low-fat diet, may support cardiovascular health by lowering cholesterol and improving blood pressure.”

As for mental health, scientists at Harvard Medical School have suggested that older people who drink two cups of hot chocolate a day could in fact be helping keep their brains healthy by doing so and reduce their memory decline. The scientists found that hot chocolate helped improve blood flow to parts of the brain where it was needed.

Furthermore, results of a lab experiment published in 2014, indicated that a cocoa extract called lavado might reduce or prevent damage to nerve pathways found in patients with Alzheimer disease. This extract could help slow down the symptoms.

Another study published in 2016 in the journal Appetite, suggests that eating chocolate at least once weekly could improve cognitive function.

Also, a study presented at the 2016 Pregnancy Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Atlanta, GA showed us that eating 30g of chocolate every day during pregnancy might actually benefit fetal growth and development.

Yet another source, The Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, suggested that a little dark chocolate might in fact boost oxygen availability during fitness training.

I, for one, certainly did not need that much research and studies to convince me about the benefits of chocolate. It makes me happy and this is enough of a reason for me to eat it, in moderation of course.

But to be more scientific about it, one should always check the label on the chocolates. The higher the cocoa content, the darker the chocolate and the higher the benefits. Also, dark chocolate probably contains less fat and sugar which means you may be able to have some, even if you are watching your weight.

In conclusion, chocolate is not necessarily bad for us like we have always been told. In fact, when consumed in moderation, and I cannot stress enough on this point, it can be good for our mental and physical health.

The word “chocolate” comes from the classical Nahuatl word “chocolātl” that entered the English language from the Spanish language.

The origins of chocolate can be traced back to the ancient civilizations of the Mayans and the Aztec in Mesoamerica (Central America and Mexico).

Cultivation, consumption and cultural use of cacao were extensive in that area where the cacao tree is native. When pollinated, the seed of the tree eventually forms a kind of sheath, or ear 20” long hanging from the tree trunk itself. Within the sheath are 30 to 40 brownish-red almond-shaped beans embedded in a sweet viscous pulp. While the beans themselves are bitter due to the alkaloids within them, the sweet pulp may have been the first element consumed by humans.

The Mayans seasoned their chocolate by mixing the roasted cacao seed paste into a drink with water, chili peppers and cornmeal, transferring the mixture repeatedly between pots until the top was covered with a thick foam.

The Aztecs, who unlike the Mayans drank chocolate cold, believed that cacao seeds were the gift of Quetzalcoatl, the god of wisdom, and the seeds once had so much value that they were used as a form of currency where one turkey for example was worth 100 cacao beans and one fresh avocado cost three beans.

It was believed that chocolate has aphrodisiac powers that give the drinker strength. Today, such drinks are also known as “Chilate” and are made by locals in the South of Mexico.

Earliest evidence of domestication of the cacao plant dates to the Olmec culture from the Preclassic-period. The Olmecs used it for religious rituals or as a medicinal drink, with no recipes for personal use. Little evidence remains of how the beverage was processed.

Until the 16th century, no European had ever heard of the popular drink and it was only after its arrival to Europe that sugar was added to it, and it became popular throughout society, first among the ruling classes and then among the common people. However, chocolate was exclusively for drinking until the early Victorian times when a technique for making solid ‘eating’ chocolate was devised.

In the 18th century the Swedish botanist, Carolus Linnaeus, renamed the cocoa tree giving it the Greek name Theobroma Cacao, now its official botanical name, which literally means ‘food of the Gods’.

The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste and must be fermented to develop the flavor. After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted. The shell is removed to produce cacao nibs, which are then ground to cocoa mass, unadulterated chocolate in rough form. Once the cocoa mass is liquefied by heating, it is called chocolate liquor. The liquor also may be cooled and processed into its two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Baking chocolate, also called bitter chocolate, contains cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions, without any added sugars. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, a combination of cocoa solids, cocoa butter or added vegetable oils, and sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk, but no cocoa solids.