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Any difference btw cocoa and cacao?

Annie Deighnaugh

10 years ago

I'm taking this "cleanse" class and the teacher gave us small cacao bites and told us this was "real" chocolate as opposed to what we think of as chocolate and that cocoa was not cacao....

What's the scoop on this stuff?
TIA!

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Comments (7)

grainlady_ks
10 years ago
I've been using cacao nibs for a couple years, and in November/December used cacao powder instead of cocoa for the first time for making Christmas goodies, with great results. I use cacao nibs in cookies and homemade food bars, granola and trail mix .

So what's the big difference.... Cacao is rich with all sorts of vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron and antioxidants. However, once it has been processed for cocoa, they lose much of it. Cocoa and cacao are both products from the same plant with the difference in the processing. It's only been available in the U.S. for about 10-years.

If you want a 1-2 punch for some energy with a boost of nutrients, snack on a few cacao nibs and some goji berries. No candy bar, pop/soda, or cup of coffee needed ;-).

"Raw cacao promotes the release of neurotransmitters, which promote a positive outlook and bodily rejuvenation, and release feel-good hormones. Raw cacao raises levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter, and acts as an anti-depressant that can help reduce symptoms of PMS. It also stimulates the secretion of endorphins, which produce a pleasurable sensation, and phenylethylamine which is a mild mood booster. It also releases anandamide which promotes elation and helps us feel good longer." (source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/522112-health-benefits-of-raw-cacao-nibs/).

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Nuts.com - cacao nibs
Lars
10 years ago
Mexican chocolate is made with roasted cocao nibs and has been available in Texas for more than 50 years. Unfortunately, it also has cinnamon in it and the nibs are not raw. I wonder how much is lost by roasting them. Also, if you melt them or cook with them, does that also destroy the health benefits?

As a child, I also used to get Mexican piloncillo (raw sugar in cone shape) and used it in making cookies.

I think I will order some cacao nibs from your link - thanks for that info!

Lars
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Hey guys I'm new to all this i live in Sydney Australia and have 4 cocoa trees about a foot tall i bought 3 online and grew 1 from a seed the seedlings seems to be doing the best with all five leafs burnt back half way and the other 3 one is in the same situation as the seedlings and the other 2 have lost all the leafs we had a brutal winter with temps around 3 degrees Celsius I have them out doors in a green house that occasionally rips open from wind do my very best to keep them around 18 degrees c with 60% to 90 % humidity all of them except the seedling has lots of new shoots just popping through the bark will they survive? There about a month left before spring is here then the battle for summer:( please any help will be great like I said I'm new to this so sorry if iv left anything
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Mold and rust? Maybe. There's always consequences. You've just got to decide which is more important. My humidity is down some in my greenhouse right now. Anywhere from 60-70%. My cacao is doing fine but doesn't seem to have the vigor it did when the humidity was higher...and mine is pretty established. Your PH sounds fine. It is also important to shade your young plant. It can handle some filtered sun later on. I would stay away from fertilizing for a while. It is under stress from shipping and lack of optimum conditions. Here is some info you might find helpful. Humidity A hot and humid atmosphere is essential for the optimum development of cocoa trees. In cocoa producing countries relative humidity is generally high, often as much as 100% during the day, falling to 70-80% during the night. Light and shade The cocoa tree will make optimum use of any light available and has been traditionally grown under shade. It's natural environment is the Amazonian forest which provides natural shade trees. Shading is indispensable in a cocoa tree's early years. Soil Conditions Cocoa is grown in a wide variety of soil types. Physical properties - Cocoa needs a soil containing coarse particles to leave free space for roots and with a reasonable quantity of nutrients to a depth of 1.5m to allow the development of a good root system. Below that level it is desirable not to have impermeable material so that excess water can drain away. Cocoa will withstand waterlogging for short periods but excess water should not linger. The cocoa tree is sensitive to a lack of water so the soil must have both water retention properties and good drainage. Chemical properties - The chemical properties of the topsoil are most important as there are a large number of roots here for absorbing nutrients. Cocoa can grow in soils with a pH in the range of 5.0-7.5. It can therefore cope with both acid and alkaline soil, but excessive acidity (pH 4.0 and below) or alkalinity (pH 8.0 and above) must be avoided. Cocoa is tolerant of acid soils provided the nutrient content is high enough. The soil should also have a high content of organic matter, 3.5% in the top 15 centimetres of soil. Soils for cocoa must have certain anionic and cationic balances. Exchangeable bases in the soil should amount to at least 35% of the total cation exchange capacity (CEC) otherwise nutritional problems are likely. The optimum total nitrogen/total phosphorus ratio should be around 1.5.
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Dutch process cocoa will give you more intensely rich, chocolaty brownies. American or "natural" will give you a more complex flavor. Didn't you like the brownies you made? If they were too chocolatey tasting, try the Natural next time. If they tasted wonderful, you might not like the results if you use natural next time, because it's a more bitter flavor. That's the whole point. :) "Natural" in referring to natural cocoa powder is a designation that way predates the current standards in food verbiage. It doesn't mean anything about the way it's grown. It just means it hasn't had the surface acid neutralized. The Ghirardelli process uses heat and melts off the fats and gets more out, whereas the Dutch process is pressed, so Dutch process is moister (fatter) and American is powderier. When you make your recipes there are all kinds of chemistry things going on between acids and alkalies. Dutch processed cocoa just has one of those processes happening before you buy it. It's not bad, just different. Baking soda (potassium bicarbonate) is an alkali. They use potassium carbonate to neutralize the acid in the Dutch process. Baking soda has less potassium and is a much gentler alkali than potassium carbonate, but in terms of what's touching your food, by the time the traces that might possibly be left on the cocoa get to you, it's just a little potassium and carbon. :) Summation American: bitter, complex, possibly fruity or roasty tasting, interacts with baking soda for leavening. Makes for red cakes if it hasn't had the color adjusted. Dutch: chocolaty, rich, good for things you want to be fudgy. Requires baking powder for leavening, or an acid like lemon juice and baking soda.
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I live in the seacoast area of NH - Portsmouth/Durham/Dover area. I have two 10 oz.cans of Ghiradelli Natural Unsweetened Cocoa powder in my pantry. I bought them at Hannaford. There's a new Hannaford near the UNH campus in Durham, close to Dover/Durham exit. There's one close to Spaulding Tpk. Exit 9 in Dover. There are 2 Hannafords a little further north in Rochester. It's worth checking their site to see if there's one closer to you. I purchased my tins a few months ago. I presume Hannaford still carries it, but will check when I go shopping today and report back. I keep it on hand to make hot chocolate. We have an ice rink in our back yard in winter and it's a treat the skaters always look forward to. It has a much richer chocolate flavor than the mixes, and I like being able to adjust the level of sweetness. Good stuff!
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Annie Deighnaugh
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks, grainlady...did you have to add any sweetener? The stuff is pretty strong as is.
grainlady_ks
10 years ago
Add sweetener to the cacao nibs? I can eat a pinch or two of them without anything. OR, mix a teaspoonful (or two) with an equal amount of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, goji berries (or a similar mixture - including dried blueberries, dates, apricots cut into 1/4-inch bits...whatever is on hand), and no sweetener. If you need something sweet try adding a teaspoon of Ghirardelli mini semi-sweet chocolate chips - if that's allowed on your cleanse. The chocolate will make the nibs taste more like semi-sweet chocolate.

-I add nibs to oatmeal and make homemade versions of KIND bars and toss some in.

-The next time I make Coconut Pecan Frosting to frost Crumb Brownies, I think I'll add some cacao nibs. I've added nibs to the brownies with a few mini chocolate chips, and used cacao powder instead of cocoa in the brownies.

Nibs find their way into, or on top of, lots of things.

-Grainlady
goldgirl
10 years ago
Put some cacao in a green smoothie and it makes it taste like a chocolate shake!

Grainlady - would you mind sharing how you make your homemade KIND bars? I've been trying to find a decent bar to have in a pinch and the KIND bars are the only ones I see that aren't loaded with weird stuff. But I'd love to make something myself. Trying to get more protein with less sugar. Thanks!
grainlady_ks
10 years ago
goldgirl-

The link below has a basic recipe you can follow. I toss in some cacao nibs and I add a little Inulin powder for added fiber. I think I got that idea from reading the label or box for KIND bars. They have chicory powder in them (aka Inulin) to make you feel full longer. I've also thought about adding some Great Lakes Gelatin (green box), which has 6-grams of protein per tablespoon.

Here's a recipe that uses cacao nibs I like:

GOJI BERRY ENERGY BARS (with cacao nibs)
http://citronlimette.com/recipe_archive/cookiesbars/goji-berry-energy-bars-2/

-Grainlady

Here is a link that might be useful: Homemade TRIO or KIND Bars
Annie Deighnaugh
Original Author
10 years ago
OK, thanks for the info.

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