Because the climate is hot and rainy, it is the most suitable environment for the growth of cocoa beans. Cocoa beans have different flavors everywhere, some are fruity and some are smoky. Today, the main producing areas of cocoa beans are Central and South America, West Africa and Southeast Asia.
Cocoa beans are the products of cocoa trees and can be ground into cocoa powder to eat. Introduced from 65438 to 0922 in Chiayi and Kaohsiung, Taiwan Province Province, China. Chinese mainland is mainly planted in Hainan. Cocoa trees like to grow on gentle slopes formed by hot and humid climate and alluvial soil rich in organic matter, but they are not suitable for growing on poorly drained and heavy clay or places frequently hit by typhoons.
In this way, its planting is suitable for the land between 20 latitudes north and south of the equator. Assuming fertile soil conditions and careful cultivation, once it survives, cocoa trees can grow in sufficient sunshine. Cocoa plantations (artificially planted cocoa trees) are usually located in valleys or coastal plains, and must have evenly distributed rainfall and fertile and well-drained land.
Extended data
diversification
1, the best criollo in cocoa, has a unique flavor, but its output is scarce, which is equivalent to Arabica coffee beans in coffee beans, accounting for only 5% of the global output; Mainly grown in Venezuela, Caribbean, Madagascar, Java and other places.
2. Rastero, which has the highest yield, accounts for about 80% of the global output. Its smell is pungent, bitter and sour, which is equivalent to robusta in coffee beans, and it is mainly used to make ordinary chocolate. Cocoa beans from West Africa belong to this category and are also widely cultivated in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brazil.
This kind of beans need intense baking to make up for the lack of taste, which is why most dark chocolates have a burnt taste.
3.trinitario Taglio is a hybrid of the above two species, named after being cultivated in Trinidad. It combines the advantages of the first two kinds of cocoa beans, and its output accounts for about 65,438+05%. Its origin is the same as Creole, and it is regarded as a treasure in cocoa. Used to produce high-quality chocolate, because only these two kinds of beans can provide the acidity, balance and complexity of high-quality chocolate.
Climate impact
Laurent Pipito, a statistician of the International Cocoa Production Organization in London, said that the production of cocoa beans has been declining gradually, because the global economic recession has curbed the market demand for cocoa beans, which are mainly used for chocolate production.
Cocoa life
Cocoa tree is an evergreen tree. Its huge and smooth leaves are red when they are young and turn green when they are mature. When mature, the height of artificially planted cocoa trees is 15 to 25 feet, but the height of wild cocoa trees can reach more than 60 feet.
The life expectancy of cocoa trees is still under speculation. It is generally believed that after 25 years, the economic function of a cocoa tree may be considered as the end, and it is suitable to replant young cocoa trees to replace it.