When first being introduced to the chocolate trees (Theobroma cacao) here at Cleveland Botanical Garden, people will often make the mistake of thinking that the football shaped pods growing on the tree are full of delectable chocolate-flavored seeds. While it is true that the pods of the chocolate tree contain the only known source of chocolate flavoring, the beans are actually quite bitter straight out of the pod and contain no hint of chocolate or coco flavor. The beans must first be fermented and roasted before they can be begin the long road to being made into chocolate.  I recently harvested a couple of pods from one of the chocolate trees and attempted to imitate the fermentation and roasting process myself.

    Opening a pod is sort of like slicing open a gourd or small pumpkin. The seeds are all coated with a slimy white flesh. The flesh coating the bean is sweet, tastes a bit like a soft banana, and is used to make a popular drink in tropical countries. This slimy, sweet coating is what actually gives the beans their chocolate flavor during the fermentation process.

     The seeds and pulp from hundreds of cacao pods are removed a place in large piles covered with banana leaves for 5 to 7 days for fermentation. The beans undergo biochemical changes changing the inside of the bean from purple to dark brown. The pulp breaks down and is absorbed by the bean, and the bitter flavor disappears. The beans are then dried and ready for roasting.  

     Having only a small number of beans from two pods, it was difficult to reproduce the conditions required for fermentation. I had some success using some bottom heat and lots of banana leaves. After a few days, the pulpy mass had a distinct chocolate smell, and soon after the pulp had disappeared completely, it left behind the brown beans – which could be roasted and then ground into cocoa powder.