Cacao is over two thousand years old
The first people known to have made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink.
Later, the Spanish conquistadors brought the seeds back home to Spain, where new recipes were created. Eventually, and the drink’s popularity spread throughout Europe. Since then, new technologies and innovations have changed the texture and taste of chocolate, but it still remains one of the world’s favourite flavours.
It takes a lot to turn cacao seeds into rich, creamy chocolate. First, farmers must harvest, ferment, and dry cacao - all by hand! Then the cacao seeds get packed and shipped to a factory. A cacao tree must be about five years old before it begins to flower - that’s the first step in making chocolate. After pollination, brightly coloured fruits (called cacao pods) develop all along the tree trunk and branches, inside are cacao seeds - the source for chocolate. Cacao pods ripen throughout the year but main harvests occur twice yearly. Next the pods are split open and the pulp cover cacao seeds are removed, they pile the seeds to dry and ferment. The seeds are then bagged and shipped all over the world.
When the seeds arrive at the factory they are cleaned, then roasted in giant ovens. After the roasting the dried shells are removed in special machines. Now the cacao nibs are ready for the mill. Heavy metal discs grind the nibs into a thick paste that will eventually become chocolate. Now the chocolate flakes need to be refined to make it smooth and silky. We are nearly at the end and just have to Knead and churn one more time. Then, it is tempered to give it a glossy sheen and smoothness and all the different mixture can be added to the cacao paste to make your favourite chocolate, whether is sweet, bitter, milk , cream or flavoured. Then it can be poured into moulds.
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