Cocoa contain antioxidants more than any other food that has been eaten as blackberries, black wine, green and black teas.

In fact, cocoa contains antioxidants 4 times more than green tea.

Cocoa powder, Cocoa butter and Cocoa Liquor are extracted from cacao beans.

History

Cocoa trees have been planted and reared for thousands of years in Mexico, Central America, and South America. The Aztecs believed that chocolate is divine ethnic roots. Aztec and Maya peoples make a popular drink with vanilla and other flavorings and aromatic substances used of roasted cocoa beans.

In the early sixteenth century, Christopher Columbus took bags of cocoa to Europe, but did not realize its economic value. Then in 1519, Cortes took it to Spanish and very soon it becomes a luxury drink.

Today, More than 3,000,000 tones (3,000,000 long tons; 3,300,000 short tons) of cocoa are produced each year. The global production was

1974: 1,556,484 tons,

1984: 1,810,611 tons,

1994: 2,672,173 tons,

2004: 3,607,052 tons .

Harvesting

Today, the cocoa harvest method is similar to the Aztecs.

Immature cocoa pods have a variety of colors but most often are green, red, or purple, and as they mature their color tends towards yellow or orange, particularly in their creases.

The harvested pods are opened —typically with a machete— to expose the beans. The pulp and cocoa seeds are removed and the rind is discarded. The pulp and seeds are then piled in heaps, placed in bins, or laid out on grates for several days. During this time, the seeds and pulp undergo "sweating", where the thick pulp liquefies as it ferments. The fermented pulp trickles away, leaving cocoa seeds behind to be collected. Sweating is important for the quality of the beans, which originally have a strong bitter taste.