HWN Suggests

Cacao: 5 Little Known Benefits of this Amazonian Superfood

Raw cacao is somewhat different from the common “Cocoa” most of us grew up within our Afghan biscuits. Cacao (pronounced “cu-COW”) refers to the Theobroma Cacao tree from which Cocoa is derived, and is used when referring to unprocessed versions of the cacao bean. Normal cocoa powder and chocolate have been chemically processed and roasted, which destroys a large amount of the antioxidants and flavanols (the things that keep you young and healthy). A recent study suggested that between 60% and 90% of the original antioxidants in cacao are lost through common “Dutch processing”. Dutch processing was originally developed in the early 19th Century to reduce the bitterness, darken the colour,…

read full article

Featured

 How Mexico Is Rediscovering (and Reinventing) Ancient Cacao Drinks

Reducing cacao to chocolate limits one of the most versatile foods there is. Unprocessed cacao paste is thick, if it's mixed with cinnamon and vanilla it becomes a dessert, and if water is added it becomes a perfumed concoction. Then there's its health benefits: it is an antioxidant, and it contains minerals and vitamin C. It is also tasty. For good reason, the scientist Carl Linnaeus named it "Theobroma cacao" (the food of the gods), something that the ancient inhabitants of the American continent knew before the Spaniards arrived.

 The cacao cult: why chocolate is hot right now

Now it’s a superfood, but pre-Columbian civilisations thought it was a divine gift. Kieran Dahl joins some worshippers at a ceremony in Brooklyn.

Articles of Interest

A Cacao Ceremony That Brought Close Friends Even Closer

According to the plant-medicine doctrine of Central and South America, consuming cacao helps a person connect with their heart.

Cacao growers are bugging out about our chocolate supply

It’s almost impossible to imagine a world without chocolate. Yet cacao trees, which are the source of chocolate, are vulnerable. I am a passionate chocolate lover and an entomologist who studies cacao pollination. The crop’s sustainability currently appears to depend on several species of tiny fly pollinators, who are frankly struggling to get the job done.

Cacao vs. Cocoa: What’s The Difference?

Cacao and cocoa can be easily confused, and though both form the basis for what eventually becomes chocolate, they’re not interchangeable. In fact, cacao and cocoa have vastly different taste profiles, nutritional benefits and culinary uses.

Cacao was probably loved by all, even 1,000 years ago in Maya culture

Chemical analyses of ancient Maya vessels reveal cacao was enjoyed outside of royal parties.

Chocolate gets its sweet history rewritten

Long believed to have been domesticated in Central America some 4,000 years ago, cacao has a more interesting story than previously thought.

Chocolate has been around for millennia. New research suggests it’s even older than we thought.

New research puts the origins of domesticated cacao in South America — 1,500 years earlier than previously believed.

Here’s How We’re Going to Solve the Global Chocolate Shortage

Witch’s broom. Frosty pod. Horsehair blight. No, those aren’t medieval hexes—they’re modern diseases that plague cacao trees, creating a worldwide chocolate shortage that experts say will only get worse. But this isn’t the first time we’ve had this problem. In the 19th century, Trinidad and Tobago* was among the world’s top five producers of cacao until disease decimated the country’s crop and its economy. That’s why Trinidad created the Cocoa Research Centre, which, along with the accompanying International Cocoa Genebank, houses 2,400 types of cacao. Now the center may just solve our current cacao conundrum and make chocolate taste better while doing so.

Is cacao powder actually healthy?

Cacao powder (pronounced ka-cow) is taking the health scene by storm... and for good reason! There is some real evidence that this chocolate superfood is actually good for you.

Ivory Coast’s Cocoa Curse

Chocolate may be sweet, but the lives of most cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast, the world’s top cocoa producer, are not. I spent time with Amani Yao, a farmer, to understand the challenges of growing cocoa...

The Difference Between Cacao and Cocoa

Cacao is the seed (shaped like a bean) from which chocolate is made and cocoa is an ingredient in chocolate. Cacao will be seen by the chocolate industry and botanists as the more accurate or relevant term, while someone in the chocolate industry may tell you that cocoa refers to any of the manufactured products of the plant (especially the powder) as well as the bean itself. Interestingly, English seems to be the only language having this conundrum; all other languages just have one word for all of the plants' many forms.

The Quest to Save the World’s Most Coveted Chocolate

Of all the heirloom cacao pods laid before us on a rickety wooden table, on this quiet hillside outside the city of Manta in Ecuador, the ancient variety known as Nacional was misleadingly plain. It was hard to believe this shriveled yellow pod contained one of the world’s rarest and most coveted cacao beans.

These Cacao Health Benefits Are Sure to Blow Your Mind

The star ingredient in your favorite chocolate bar offers so much more than just a sweet, mouthwatering taste (although that’s pretty awesome too).

Resources

Cacao Guardians

We are one of the only company in Europe offering Pure Ceremonial Cacao made by Mayan native artisans using traditional practices