What Tree Does Chocolate Come From

What Tree Does Chocolate Come From

Cocoa is a tropical tree that grows in tropical and subtropical regions of our planet. Its seeds are used to manufacture chocolate. In the past, cocoa was mainly grown in Latin America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. Today, it is grown in many subtropical and tropical regions..

Does chocolate grow on trees?

Chocolate grows on a cacao tree, which is a tropical evergreen. It is native to the Amazon region. In the past, the cacao pod was harvested for consumption, but nowadays you have to wait until the fruit from the cacao tree is ripe enough to harvest..

Where do Where does chocolate come from?

Chocolate is a very popular sweet food that is made from cocoa beans that are harvested from the cacao tree. Cacao trees are native to South America and Mesoamerica, where a majority of the world’s cocoa is still produced. Cocoa beans were first harvested and cultivated by the Olmec and Mayan peoples of Mesoamerica as early as 1900 BC. The beans were used as currency before the Spanish invaded and conquered Mesoamerica..

Which tree give us chocolate where is it grown?

Chocolate tree doesn’t exist. The tree that gives us chocolate is a tree called cocoa tree. Cocoa tree is a tropical tree. It is mostly grown in the equatorial region of the world. It is commonly grown in West Africa, South America, and some parts of Asia. Cocoa trees are tall trees with broad leaves. They are harvested for their fruit, which is actually a large pod. The fruit is full of seeds which contain cocoa beans. The beans are then processed to create chocolate..

Who invented chocolate?

The word “Chocolate” is derived from the Aztec word xocolatl, which means “bitter water”. It originated in the mid 1500’s in South America and was used as a drink by the Aztecs. It was seen as a beverage of the gods until the Spanish conquered the Aztecs and brought it back to Europe. The first written record of chocolate comes from Bernal Diaz, a Spanish soldier who described the Aztecs drink that “is made from a powder of cacao beans, which are of that colour (brown). With this they make cakes and other dainties, and the drink of it is very good, and very healthy.”.

How do we get chocolate from trees?

Cocoa seeds grow on the inside of a large fruit-like pod. The pods grow from the branches of a tree known as the Cacao tree. Cocoa trees grow in many parts of the world, but most of the cocoa in the world is grown in Western Africa. The tree is a big tree that grows about 50 feet tall. The tree itself is very interesting because it grows two types of flowers. The small flowers grow on the branches and the large flowers grow on the trunk. The small flowers give the tree cocoa beans and the large flowers give the tree the seeds of the fruit. The cocoa beans grow underneath the fruit on the trunk of the tree. Once the pods are ripe, they fall off the tree and the beans are left on the ground. The beans must be fermented and dried to develop the chocolate flavor and to get the beans ready to be sold and tasted..

Where do cocoa trees grow?

Cocoa trees are native to the Americas, but they are now grown in most tropical countries. They are grown in all countries with a tropical climate, in Africa, South America, Central America, Southeast Asia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Caribbean, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Jamaica, Trinidad, and Tobago, Cuba, Martinique, Guadeloupe, Guiana, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Uruguay, Bolivia, Colombia, New Guinea, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, Nigeria, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, the Congo, Cameroon, Gabon, Togo, Congo, Zaire, Guinea, and Cameroon..

Is chocolate a fruit?

In botany, a fruit is the ripened ovary of a plant, along with seeds contained within it. A few common examples of fruit are apples, cantaloupes, oranges, strawberries and watermelons. It is a sweet or savory food produced from the ripened ovary of a plant, with the seeds within. Almost all fruits come from a single ovary, but in some cases multiple fruits are formed from a single ovary. In those cases, some fruits may have more than one seed..

Where does chocolate come from ks1?

Theobroma cacao is a tropical tree native to South and Middle America. The tree, also known as the cacao tree, grows up to 15 meters in height, with leaves averaging about 30 centimeters long, and flowers which are about 10 centimeters wide. Each flower is pollinated by the wind, and an individual tree can produce up to 2,000 beans, which are collectively called cocoa. Theobroma cacao is the scientific name for the chocolate plant. The Cacao tree produces fruit that is consumed by people all over the world..

How does cocoa tree look like?

Cocoa trees are typically grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, with the majority of the world’s cocoa coming from West Africa. Cocoa trees grow in a wide range of soil types, as long as they are well drained. They can be grown in a variety of areas, from the tropical rainforests to the savannahs and mountain regions. The trees can reach a height of 10m, bearing fruit after three to four years. The fruit weighs about one to two kg each, and the tree can produce between 200 and 300 fruits per year. The tree bears fruit all year round, but the harvest season for the fruits is from February to June. The fruit contains large seeds from which cocoa powder is extracted..

What are chocolate trees called?

The chocolate tree is also known as the cacao tree. Its scientific name involves theobroma which means food of the gods. The tree originated in South America and is now cultivated worldwide..

How old is the cocoa tree when it begins to bear fruit?

The short answer is three years. The long answer is that it depends on the variety of cocoa tree, the soil quality, the climate, and care of the tree. The cocoa tree has an average life span of 20-30 years, but some trees can live for over 100 years. There are 2 main types of cocoa tree: Forastero and Criollo. Forastero trees grow larger and produce more cocoa pods than criollo trees. Yields from larger trees are as high as 70-100 lbs per year at 5-6 years of age. Criollo trees, however, produce smaller pods with higher concentrations of cocoa butter. Yields from a criollo tree are as high as 40-60 lbs per year at 5-6 years of age. The age of a criollo tree when it begins to bear fruit ranges from 4-5 years..