Do fermentation and chocolate go together?
YES, actually. What we taste and enjoy as chocolate would not be possible without fermentation! When cacao seeds (the part of the Theobroma cacao plant from which we make chocolate) are first harvested from the pod (about 30-40 in a pod), they are surrounded by a pulp which has a high sugar content. The pods are allowed to ferment in order to separate the seeds from the pulp. In fact, in ancient Mesoamerican cultures, they used to put the pulp, beans and all into a dugout canoe and let it all ferment together, creating an alcoholic, chocolatey drink! Now THERE’s a party!
Ceremonial cacao has arrived in western countries. It is cacao beans processed into a paste, and then mixed in hot water. It is not the same as chocolate bars or Traditionally used in Mesoamerican cultures as a heart-opener (thanks to theobromine).
Author and founder of Fermenters Club. I’ve been fermenting food for 14 years.
In 2024, I published my first book, Fearless Fermenting.
When not stuffing things into jars, I enjoy permaculture gardening, cooking, yoga, writing, and studying cosmology and esoteric traditions.
