However, recent archaeological and genetic evidence points to the south Amazonian region of Ecuador as the area of the origin of the fine flavour Nacional cacao, and where cacao was first harvested and used. This area was inhabited by the Mayo Chinchipe-Marañon culture 5,300 years ago and archaeologists, notably Francisco Valdez in year 2013, found evidence of cacao use among the members of this culture. The two most representative archaeological pieces of cacao domestication and use are a piece of stone in the form of cacao pod and a bottle used to drink liquid chocolate
Boom, eyes opened. Can't wait to try chocolate from other bean varietals. And they're dairy free! Was that filmed at Vic? Looks like one of the lecture theatres. :)
Yes they are. The true flavor of chocolate is only cocoa liquor (cocoa beans after the process) and sugar. You can find from 50% to regular cocoa beans (more sugar hide some bad flavors) to 60%, 70%, 80%. Extra finest cocoa can handle 85% and 90% without bitter flavor. Imagine trying a 85% or 90% chocolate with a smooth and fine flavor. That is only possible with extra fine cocoa. However, you can try anothers flavors! like Salt, Cianamons, Sarrapia, and many others. And not dairy milks like goat, rice, almonds, cocout. Is is a dangeorus vice !
I'm interested in the positive and negative effects of chocolate. The tryptophan and caffeine in dark chocolate makes me tired. I typed in TH-cam "the truth about chocolate" and saw lots of videos about the horrendous exploitation of people in Africa working in the chocolate industry. Companies like Nestlé, Mars, Cadbury etc who exploit human life without a thought, and the consumers in the West who are oblivious to it or simply don't care. After seeing images of child labour and exploited cocoa farmers I feel outraged and sick. Chocolate equals exploitation and it is unacceptable and needs to change.
There are some companies that produce chocolate and cacao-products based on permaculture-principles, and regenerative agriculture that takes good care of their employees and are transparent. ReNature and Blessed Cacao are two companies I follow on IG - they show the whole process from start to finish.
I buy raw, organic cocoa powder in bulk from Amazon to save. If I could buy beans direct from the farmer I would. I would grind & eat fresh as needed. I don't need a middle man to add refined sugar or roast the beans, destroying nutrition.
There is a mistake in this presentation....there is not Criollo cacao in Perú genetic, this genetic gruop "Criollo" is from Venezuela to México. Chuncho cacao is fine cacao belong to Contamana genetic group¡¡¡¡
The sir is wrong when he said the best flavor is in Peru. It is not. Super extra finest cocoa are From Venezuelan origin. The richnest genetics and varieties are in Venezuela. Porcelana, Chuao, Macuare, Deltano Superior, Guasare, Sur del Lago. Creole is not the finest cocoa. Only have to try any of super extra finest Venezuelan cocoa. Other regions have a good grain, but the top of top is in Venezuela. Nor Colombia, nor Ecuador, nor Peru. Those cocoa are so finest that are used for the more exclusive chococolate. Of course the political situation has not guaranntee the export of high quantity. In fact is very tiny but in the past Venezuela was the more extra finest cocoa producer i the world. (African cocoa is not extra fine cocoa, is regular cocoa, is a cheap one used in industrial chocolate). In fact the new path in genectics is called Criollos Modernos, and are in Venezuela. Not manipulation, organic in some places. Small production does not minimie the fact that it have the best flavor and genetics.
Jesus E. Guevara S. Would love to hear from some of these producers in Venezuela - and import to U.K. - but as you rightly point out, the political situation is far from ideal 😔
it is very complicated, the governments are often involved and local human traffickers - the fields are deep in the jungles and rainforests and hard to get to. I would say buy fairtrade, buy small batch chocolate, refuse the companies that clearly involve slavery like Nestle etc There are organisations working on ending slavery but it takes time. Each one has to do their part.
As same as Blood Diamonds, Cocoa from Africa (mainly Ivory Coast and Ghana) have the issue of child working on some plantations. Maybe some of them as slaves. There are a strong effort to solve this but as same as blood diamonds, there are some big and dark interest to defeat. As same as the Blood Diamonds, some things are being tried. Protocols similars to the Kimberly Process (Protocol to guarantee clean diamonds) are being developed, but still not is applied.
Because chocolate is love and happinest, this is an super interesting subject. Next time you eat a chocolate try to solve this question on google. What is the difference beettween the industrial chocolate and the professional crafted chocolate (Bean to bar) Try one regular chocolate and another with full cocoa butter. Diferences in Flavor and sensations in mouth are huge. Why industrial chocolate pulls out almost all cocoa butter and substitute for non healthy fats and still call this products chocolate and not Analog of chocolate How many steps are necesary from the cocoa pods harvest to the end chocolate (very very interesting, maybe 15 steps) How many kinds of cocoa bean exists ? What is a single origin chocolate ? Some clue: Chuao, Porcelana, Guazare are the Ferrari, Maserati and Buggatti of the cocoa beans. African ones are like a regular car. Some people near you who love make chocolate, for sure is doing it. Support them buyimg crafted chocolate instead industrial one. At least one time a year. They deserve it. ;-)
However, recent archaeological and genetic evidence points to the south Amazonian region of Ecuador as the area of the origin of the fine flavour Nacional cacao, and where cacao was first harvested and used. This area was inhabited by the Mayo Chinchipe-Marañon culture 5,300 years ago and archaeologists, notably Francisco Valdez in year 2013, found evidence of cacao use among the members of this culture. The two most representative archaeological pieces of cacao domestication and use are a piece of stone in the form of cacao pod and a bottle used to drink liquid chocolate
For what it's worth this long after the original post, the map at 1:20 shows 20 degrees north and south of the equator, not 10 degrees....
Boom, eyes opened. Can't wait to try chocolate from other bean varietals. And they're dairy free!
Was that filmed at Vic? Looks like one of the lecture theatres. :)
Yes they are. The true flavor of chocolate is only cocoa liquor (cocoa beans after the process) and sugar. You can find from 50% to regular cocoa beans (more sugar hide some bad flavors) to 60%, 70%, 80%. Extra finest cocoa can handle 85% and 90% without bitter flavor. Imagine trying a 85% or 90% chocolate with a smooth and fine flavor. That is only possible with extra fine cocoa.
However, you can try anothers flavors! like Salt, Cianamons, Sarrapia, and many others. And not dairy milks like goat, rice, almonds, cocout. Is is a dangeorus vice !
wow
I'm interested in the positive and negative effects of chocolate. The tryptophan and caffeine in dark chocolate makes me tired. I typed in TH-cam "the truth about chocolate" and saw lots of videos about the horrendous exploitation of people in Africa working in the chocolate industry. Companies like Nestlé, Mars, Cadbury etc who exploit human life without a thought, and the consumers in the West who are oblivious to it or simply don't care. After seeing images of child labour and exploited cocoa farmers I feel outraged and sick. Chocolate equals exploitation and it is unacceptable and needs to change.
buy South American chocolate then - that is where chocolate originated from
Nullius in verba He could also raise awareness to the travesty. That's a better solution to the problem.
Do something about it then
There are some companies that produce chocolate and cacao-products based on permaculture-principles, and regenerative agriculture that takes good care of their employees and are transparent. ReNature and Blessed Cacao are two companies I follow on IG - they show the whole process from start to finish.
I buy raw, organic cocoa powder in bulk from Amazon to save. If I could buy beans direct from the farmer I would. I would grind & eat fresh as needed. I don't need a middle man to add refined sugar or roast the beans, destroying nutrition.
I buy from a local farmer I made contact with during my travels in Indonesia. Lmk if you're interested and I'll send you the details :)
There is a mistake in this presentation....there is not Criollo cacao in Perú genetic, this genetic gruop "Criollo" is from Venezuela to México. Chuncho cacao is fine cacao belong to Contamana genetic group¡¡¡¡
The sir is wrong when he said the best flavor is in Peru. It is not. Super extra finest cocoa are From Venezuelan origin. The richnest genetics and varieties are in Venezuela. Porcelana, Chuao, Macuare, Deltano Superior, Guasare, Sur del Lago. Creole is not the finest cocoa. Only have to try any of super extra finest Venezuelan cocoa. Other regions have a good grain, but the top of top is in Venezuela. Nor Colombia, nor Ecuador, nor Peru. Those cocoa are so finest that are used for the more exclusive chococolate. Of course the political situation has not guaranntee the export of high quantity. In fact is very tiny but in the past Venezuela was the more extra finest cocoa producer i the world. (African cocoa is not extra fine cocoa, is regular cocoa, is a cheap one used in industrial chocolate). In fact the new path in genectics is called Criollos Modernos, and are in Venezuela. Not manipulation, organic in some places. Small production does not minimie the fact that it have the best flavor and genetics.
Jesus E. Guevara S. Would love to hear from some of these producers in Venezuela - and import to U.K. - but as you rightly point out, the political situation is far from ideal 😔
Did you taste a fine chocolate made of chuncho cacao?
The best is from a small Mayan region.
why are there slaves involved in chocolate, and you won't stop it.
it is very complicated, the governments are often involved and local human traffickers - the fields are deep in the jungles and rainforests and hard to get to. I would say buy fairtrade, buy small batch chocolate, refuse the companies that clearly involve slavery like Nestle etc There are organisations working on ending slavery but it takes time. Each one has to do their part.
As same as Blood Diamonds, Cocoa from Africa (mainly Ivory Coast and Ghana) have the issue of child working on some plantations. Maybe some of them as slaves. There are a strong effort to solve this but as same as blood diamonds, there are some big and dark interest to defeat. As same as the Blood Diamonds, some things are being tried. Protocols similars to the Kimberly Process (Protocol to guarantee clean diamonds) are being developed, but still not is applied.
Because chocolate is love and happinest, this is an super interesting subject. Next time you eat a chocolate try to solve this question on google.
What is the difference beettween the industrial chocolate and the professional crafted chocolate (Bean to bar)
Try one regular chocolate and another with full cocoa butter. Diferences in Flavor and sensations in mouth are huge.
Why industrial chocolate pulls out almost all cocoa butter and substitute for non healthy fats and still call this products chocolate and not Analog of chocolate
How many steps are necesary from the cocoa pods harvest to the end chocolate (very very interesting, maybe 15 steps)
How many kinds of cocoa bean exists ? What is a single origin chocolate ? Some clue: Chuao, Porcelana, Guazare are the Ferrari, Maserati and Buggatti of the cocoa beans. African ones are like a regular car.
Some people near you who love make chocolate, for sure is doing it. Support them buyimg crafted chocolate instead industrial one. At least one time a year. They deserve it. ;-)
chocolate is from Mexico to the world