The Straight Goods on Chocolate: Part Four

According to Wikipedia, in spite of chocolate's South American origins, roughly two-thirds of the world's cocoa is produced in Western Africa, with 43 per cent of that amount from Cote d'Ivoire, where the practice of child labour is a common occurrence. According to the World Cocoa Foundation, 50 million people worldwide depend on the production of cocoa as a means of support.

Cocoa is produced from the cocoa bean, which grows on cacao trees, trees that require rich, well-drained soils in which to grow, as well as temperatures that range from 21 to 32 degrees Celsius and approximately 2000 millimeters of rain a year. Cacao trees cannot tolerate a temperature lower than 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). There are three main varieties of cacao beans that are used in the making of chocolate: Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario.

According to Wikipedia, Criollo is the rarest and most expensive cocoa on the market. It represents only about five per cent of the total cocoa on the market. It is native to Central America, the Caribbean islands and the northern point of the South American states. Criollo beans are particularly difficult to grow as they are subject to a variety of environmental threats and are low in yield.

The most commonly grown bean is Forastero, which is native to the Amazonian basin. The African cacao bean is exclusively of the Forastero variety. These trees are significantly hardier and possess a higher yield than Criollo, and is the source of most chocolate produced in the world. Forastero beans produce a typically chocolate taste, but are lacking in the subtler, secondary flavours, producing what Wikipedia refers to as "bland" chocolate.

Trinitario beans are a natural hybrid of Criollo and Forastero -- in other words, it occurs naturally and is not man-made. These beans occurred in Trinidad after Forastero trees were introduced to the Criollo crop that was being grown there. According to Wikipedia, nearly all cacao beans produced in the last 50 years are of the Forastero or lower grade Trinatario variety.