Do all varieties of cocoa naturally taste bitter?
Very simple question. I bought some roasted cocoa seeds and tasted them, they have a slight "bitter" flavour and not "sweet" as I imagined when I was a kid.
Now, chocolate is made by adding sugar to the cacao powder (obtained from the seeds). I am wondering if there are any varieties of "cacao plants" that produce naturally sweet cacao :).
Best Answer
The fleshy party of the fruit of theobroma cacao is is supposed to be sweet and pleasant. However, it does not taste like chocolate.
Chocolate is made from the nibs or seeds within the fruit of theobroma cacao, after it is fermented ground, and processed, and is in no way sweet.
The nibs themselves are very low in sugar, and contain alkaloids (such as caffeine or theobromine) which are bitter. This probably evolved to discourage predation or disease to the seeds themselves.
This is very similar to the way peach kernels (the seed within the pits) are not terribly sweet, although they certainly grow within a fruit that is.
So no—there is no such thing as naturally sweet chocolate.
A related tree, Cupuaçu (theobroma grandiflorum) is cultivated more specifically for its fruits, which are sweet and said to taste something like pineapple. Again, the fleshy fruit is not analogous to the seed which eventually becomes chocolate.
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Quick Answer about "Do all varieties of cocoa naturally taste bitter?"
The cocoa beans are cultivated in different climates and under varying conditions around the world, and each variety has its own unique taste. Some varieties taste bitter and sharp, others sweet and smooth.Is cocoa naturally bitter?
Unprocessed cacao (the main ingredient in chocolate) is actually quite bitter. Its strong taste is a result of the powerful nutrients that are present in unprocessed cacao, particularly its unique antioxidants.Do all cocoa powders taste the same?
The flavour of cocoa powder can be impacted by a lot of steps along the process, most of which you don't have any specific control over as consumer. Some examples of those are: The cocoa bean itself: different varieties have a different flavour profile.Is all chocolate bitter?
However, dark chocolate doesn't have to taste bitter. The combination of quality cacao beans, careful fermentation, and gentle roasting can create beautiful, intense, but not bitter dark chocolate.Is cocoa bitter or sweet?
Chocolate is made from the nibs or seeds within the fruit of theobroma cacao, after it is fermented ground, and processed, and is in no way sweet. The nibs themselves are very low in sugar, and contain alkaloids (such as caffeine or theobromine) which are bitter.100% Dark Chocolate: Bitter or Best Ever? | Serving Up Science
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