Theobroma Cacao

The botanical name for cacao tree, a tropical evergreen in the family Byttneriaceae. It is native to the Amazon basin, but now grows worldwide in a tropical belt 20° above and below the equator. The genus name, Theobroma, means 'food of the gods' in Greek (Theo = god, broma = food) and was bestowed in 1753 by Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus (Carl von Linné).

Theobroma cacao plants need 5 years to mature to fruit bearing and another 10 years to deliver good quality beans. They only grow well as understory and require 'mother trees' (banana, palm and so on) to shade them. Most cacao plantations are therefore mixed in crops and small in size.

The three leading varietals are Criollo, Forastero and Trinitario. Their differences result from their pod structure, the colour of their beans and the number of beans per pod.

• The Criollo varietal was grown by the Mesoamerican civilisations. The beans are thick and have white or pink cotyledons, low acid levels and low bitterness. The processed beans produce a smooth, very flavoured cacao.
• The Forastero varietal have flat, violet-coloured beans with high astringency. They are divided into two species, growing in the Amazonian Lowlands and Highlands. The former is the most commonly grown cacao in the world, especially in Brazil and western Africa.
• The Trinitario is a hybrid of Forastero and Criollo that combines some flavour and sensory features of the Criollo bean with the strength and high yield of the Forastero bean.