The cocoa bean is the seed of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao), a tropical plant indigenous to the equatorial regions of the Americas. From the processed cocoa bean comes the fluid paste, or liquor, from which cocoa powder and chocolate are made.Theobroma cacao grows pods on both its branches and trunk. Growers have to be very careful not to damage the cacao tree when harvesting them. Because it's such a delicate task, pods are picked by hand.Each bean is made of about 50% of a fat called cocoa butter. The beans are 20% protein and also contain water, as well as a large amount of nutrients such as theobromine and vitamins. The beans also contain starch and other minerals.Each pod contains 16 to 60 cocoa beans. You have to extract the fruit�¯ it's contents to get at its beans, in a process known as de-seeding.When fresh, beans look like seeds covered in a white, sticky pulp called mucilage. They can be eaten as they are. However, if we want to store them for later use, we have to ferment and then dry them. We can also roast them.
