Want to test your knowledge on cocoa – which is used in ChocoBee? Here are some questions and answers to do just that!
What is cocoa?
Cocoa comes from cocoa beans, the kernels of the cocoa fruit that grow on cocoa trees. Cocoa beans are used to create cocoa powder, once the kernels have been dried and ground.
How tall (in meters) can a cocoa tree grow?
15 metres!
In the wild cocoa tree can grow to a height of 15 metres! Cocoa fruits grow directly from the trunk and the thicker branches of the these trees.
Where do cocoa trees grow?
Cocoa trees grow in hot and rainy tropical areas, around the equator and cocoa beans grow throughout the year.
Each tree can have thousands of small flowers but only up to 40 flowers develop into fruits, the cocoa pod, which measure about 20 cm long and 10 cm wide each.
How long has cocoa been around?
The indigenous inhabitants of South America, called the Mayas, were the masters of the cocoa bean as early as 600AD. This was a long time ago!
Christopher Columbus discovered the beans when he explored the Americas in the 16th century and it is said that the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes discovered the recipe for the ‘xocolatl’ cocoa drink, from the Aztecs when he conquered Mexico.
He then brought it back to Europe with him and introduced the cocoa drink to the Spanish court, to which they often added sugar or honey.
How many cocoa beans are in a single cocoa pod?
40 beans
Each cocoa fruit can contains about 40 seeds. These are the actual cocoa beans and they only weigh about 1 gram each, which is very light!
The beans are soft and white when they are harvested and they need drying before being transformed into cocoa powder, for example.
