No cocoa, no chocolate… that would be the end of the world.
- ‘Cocoa powder’ is also known as ‘cocoa’, ‘cocoa solids’ and ‘cacao’.
- Cocoa powder is processed from cacao beans, that grow in pods on Theobroma cacao trees that are native to south and central America.
- Cacao beans, when fermented, dried and ground, contain a mix of 50 to 60% cocoa butter and 40 to 50% cocoa solids, and the latter is generally sold as ‘cocoa powder’.
- Cocoa powder, combined with cocoa butter, is the main ingredient of chocolate, so therefore it is also used in many chocolate flavoured products like cakes, biscuits, flavoured dairy products, and chocolate syrup.
- Cocoa powder is coloured in many shades of brown, from light brown to red-brown to dark brown.
- Cocoa powder is very high iron, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus, with 100 grams (3.5 ounces) making up over 100% of the recommended dietary intake, and it is high in zinc.
- In 1828, the Dutchmen Casparus van Houten, a chocolate factory owner, made an hydraulic press to separate cocoa powder and cocoa butter.
- Cocoa powder is said to be the food with the highest content of flavonoids, which may positively affect the cardiovascular system.
- Cocoa powder was originally processed to easily make beverages of hot chocolate, that had become popular in the 17th and 18th centuries, which can be quite healthy without extra sugar or the like.
- Cocoa powder contains a number of chemicals that can make people feel happy and promote positive feelings.
Bibliography:
Cocoa Solids, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_solids
Some like It Hot: Best Hot Chocolate Mix & Cocoa Mix, 2014, The Nibble, http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/beverages/cocoas/hot-chocolate-overview.asp
Teta K, Cocoa: Benefits for Health, Fitness & Fat Loss, 2011, Metabolic Effect, http://www.metaboliceffect.com/cocoa/
