Raw cacao products are considered healthier than processed cocoa because they contain more minerals and antioxidants. The superfood of all superfoods, cacao — the dried seeds at the root of chocolate — is also one of the highest sources of magnesium in nature, full of antioxidants, calcium, zinc, copper, and selenium.
Cacao is the raw, unprocessed version of cocoa. Raw cacao can take some getting used to. It tastes a little different than cocoa products and can be slightly bitter.
Chocolate is made from cacao beans — or rather seeds — from the Theobroma cacao tree. This plant produces large, pod-like fruits which contain beans surrounded by a sticky, sweet-tart white pulp.
Bean-to-bar chocolatiers, who make chocolate from scratch, only use the word cacao for the pod and beans before they’re fermented. After fermentation, they call them cocoa beans
Once cacao beans are harvested, they go through several processing steps:
Fermentation: The beans (with sticky pulp) are left for a few days so microbes that feed on the pulp can ferment the beans. This starts to develop the distinctive chocolate flavor and aroma.
Drying: The fermented beans are dried for several days.
Roasting: Roasting the dried beans fully develops the chocolate flavor and gives them some sweetness.
Crushing: The beans are crushed and separated from their hulls, resulting in cacao pieces called nibs.
Grinding: Nibs are ground, producing a liquor which is made into chocolate products.
Cocoa powder is made by pressing the liquor (half fat in the form of cocoa butter) to remove most of the fat. Chocolate is made by mixing the liquor with vanilla, sugar, more cocoa butter and milk.
Cacao beans and the products derived from them are rich sources of beneficial plant compounds, particularly flavanols, which have antioxidant, heart-protective and anti-cancer properties, among other health benefits. Cacao contains far more antioxidants per 100g than blueberries and is rich in magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium, zinc, copper and manganese. Cacao products also contain tryptophan, which your body uses to make serotonin, a brain chemical that helps you relax. Standard dark chocolate, with at least 70% cocoa is also a good source of beneficial antioxidants and minerals.
The easiest way to tell whether you are getting cacao or cocoa? Look for the word RAW on the packaging! And then check the rest of the ingredients.
Comments