Cacao vs Cocoa: What's the Difference?
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Time to read 2 min
In the chocolate world, you’ll often hear the words “cacao” and “cocoa.” No, cacao isn’t a misspelling. They’re actually two different terms to describe different stages of the process that cacao fruit goes through to become chocolate. Oh, and yeah: cacao starts out as a fruit. Bananas, right? (Pun intended).
Theobroma cacao is the official scientific name of the tropical tree that produces the fruit used to make chocolate - cacao, pronounced kah-kow. This fruit grows in small football-shaped pods that contain sweet and tangy pulp and seeds, or cacao beans. The seeds inside the cacao beans are the raw, primary ingredient used to make chocolate. Both the pulp and seeds are edible; the pulp is delicious, but the raw cacao beans are very bitter.
After harvesting, the cacao beans are fermented and dried to develop that characteristic chocolate flavor. Usually after fermentation and drying is complete, the beans can be transported. Once they hit a chocolate factory, the first step they’ll go through is roasting. While there isn’t a universally accepted distinction between when “cacao” becomes “cocoa,” this is typically when chocolate professionals start referring to the product as cocoa.
After roasting, the beans are cracked and winnowed to separate the cocoa nibs (inner product of the cacao bean) from the shell (husks). Both of these byproducts are edible. Cocoa nibs are crunchy, naturally sugar-free, rich in nutrients, and often used as toppings for oatmeal, yogurt, or smoothie bowls. The husks are also nutrient-rich and filled with antioxidants, and commonly steeped to make chocolate tea.
Transforming Cacao into Cocoa
Going back to the process of making chocolate, the nibs are then finally ground into a thick paste. This thick paste is known as cocoa liquor, cocoa mass, or cocoa paste. Despite the name, it actually contains no alcohol; it's simply pure ground cocoa made of cocoa solids and cocoa butter
Further refinement separates the cocoa solids from the cocoa butter. Cocoa solids are then finely milled into a powder. This is the cocoa powder used for baking, hot chocolate, desserts, and other pastries. Cocoa butter is also 100% edible and widely used in chocolate, skincare, and cosmetics (just make sure you get food grade cocoa butter if you’d like to eat it).
In short, the difference between cacao and cocoa really comes down to processing. The tree, fruit, and beans before roasting are referred to as cacao, while cocoa is the roasted, processed ingredient used to make chocolate. The terms are often used interchangeably, but understanding the distinction is helpful in knowing how the chocolate you know and love is made.
