07 Feb ALDEIA – 06 FEBRUARY 2020 – CACAO

I find the cacao fruit unique and not similar to anything else.

The 1-centimeter thick shell is useless. Well, not useless but it’s not edible. Inside there are the seeds, gathered in a bunch.

The seeds are covered in a white skin, juicy and sweet. 

Cacao fruit is not eaten, it’s seeds are sucked off their skin, in fact. They are violet in their raw stage and very bitter. 

At harvest, the seeds are put in a giant sieve and the sap is collected. This liquid is called cacao honey. 

If it is not consumed immediately, it is stored frozen because it quickly ferments. 

The seeds are put in a box to ferment for a few days. 

The temperature inside the box will go up and the result of the fermentation is a less bitter product. 

The next step is drying in the sun.

After a few days of continuous sunshine, the seeds are roasted.

After that, they are smashed into pieces and separated from their shells. These tiny pieces are called cacao nibs. 

The nibs are put in a stone-wheel mill and transformed into a paste.

This paste is blended with cocoa butter and sugar, in a machine that goes up to 45 C (113 F) degrees and then drops at 27 C (80.6 F)  and then reheated again at 32 C (89.6 F)  at which point they are poured into molds. 

This process is called chocolate tempering. 

If it is not tempered, then its consistency is sand-like. 

Cocoa butter is also obtained from the cacao nibs, this time in a press that delivers 2 final products: cocoa butter and cocoa powder. 

In other words, cocoa powder is the remaining of the cocoa butter making process. 

I found the journey from fruit to chocolate very interesting.

Other than that, nothing, all’s good…

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CACAO

Gasesc fructul de cacao unic si neasemanator cu nimic.

Coaja groasa de un centimetru nu se foloseste la nimic.

Inauntrul fructului se afla semintele, sub forma de ciorchine.

Acestea sunt alunele de cacao.

Alunele de cacao sunt acoperite cu o pojghita alba, laptoasa si dulce. 

Fructul de cacao nu se mananca, boabele sunt supte de fapt. 

Boabele de cacao sunt violet in forma lor cruda si incredibil de amare.

In recolta de cacao boabele sunt puse intr-o sita imensa iar lichidul pulpei colectat. Acest lichid se numeste miere de cacao. 

Daca nu se consuma imediat se pastreaza inghetat pentru ca fermenteaza instant.

Boabele de cacao sunt puse intr-o cutie la fermentat pentru cateva zile. Temperatura va creste si prin procesul de fermentatie amareala crunta dispare.

Urmatorul pas este uscarea la soare.

Dupa cateva zile de soare naucitor, alunele sunt prajite.

Dupa ce sunt prajite sunt sparte in bucati si separate de coaja. Aceste bucati se numesc nibs-uri de cacao sau NIBS.

Nibs-urile sunt aruncate intr-o moara cu roti de piatra si transformate intr-o pasta.

Aceasta pasta este amestecata cu zahar si unt de cacao, intr-o masinarie care urca temperatura exact pana la 45 de grade, dupa care-o scade exact la 27 de grade, dupa care-o urca din nou la 32 de grade, moment in care se toarna in forme. 

Acest proces se numeste temperarea ciocolatei. 

Daca ciocolata nu se tempereaza, consistenta este nisipoasa.

Untul de cacao se obtine tot din nibs-uri, care sunt introduse intr-o presa cu filet din care ies doua produse: untul de cacao si cacaoa pudra.

Cu alte cuvinte, cacaoa pudra este rezidul ce ramane din obtinerea untului de cacao.

Mi s-a parut interesant de explicat traseul de la fruct la ciocolata.

In rest,nimic, toate bune…