Cacao

A small evergreen tree 4–12 m tall of the tropical forest mid-storey, shade-loving; the brown trunk is smooth. The leaves are simple, entire and unlobed, 10–50 cm long and 5–10 cm wide, glossy; young leaves are pinkish-red before turning green. The small flowers, 1–2 cm across with pink calyx and cream petals, are borne in clusters directly on the trunk and older branches (cauliflory); they are pollinated mainly by Forcipomyia biting midges rather than bees. The fruit (cabosse) is ovoid-fusiform, 15–30 cm long and 8–10 cm wide with a thick, ridged rind that turns from green to yellow-orange when ripe; each pod holds 20–60 seeds (2–3 cm) embedded in a sweet-sour white pulp. After fermentation (2–7 days), drying and roasting, the seeds turn dark brown, lose their astringency and develop the characteristic chocolate aroma and flavour.

Cacao is native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, especially the Amazon basin; the Maya and Aztecs cultivated it for millennia, using the beans for the ceremonial drink 'xocoatl' and as currency. Carl Linnaeus named the species in 1753, choosing Theobroma ('food of the gods'). The Vietnamese word 'ca cao' entered via French from Nahuatl 'cacahuatl'. Today cacao is grown within 20° of the Equator; West Africa produces over two thirds of world output (led by Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana). The three main cultivar groups are Criollo (rare, fine aroma), Forastero (common, high-yielding) and Trinitario (a hybrid). In Vietnam, cacao is grown mainly in Bến Tre, Tiền Giang, Vĩnh Long (often intercropped with coconut), Đồng Nai and parts of the Central Highlands; beans are fermented for flavour and sold to chocolate makers, and a craft-chocolate scene is emerging.