What is the Difference Between Cocoa and Cacao

The main difference between cocoa and cacao is that cacao refers to the raw beans of Theobroma cacao tree, while cocoa refers to the processed beans.

You may have noticed that some chocolate products have cocoa listed as ingredients while some list cacao. Have you ever wondered about the difference between cocoa and cacao? Then, this article is for you! Cacao is actually the basis of both cocoa and chocolate. Cacao refers to the raw, unprocessed seeds of the cacao plant. We use the word cocoa to talk about processed seeds of the cacao plant. Cocoa seeds are the ultimate basis of chocolate.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Cacao
     – Definition, Features, Cacao Powder
2. What is Cocoa 
     – Definition, Features, Production
3. Relationship Between Cocoa and Cacao
     – Outline of Common Features
4. Difference Between Cocoa and Cacao
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Cacao, Cocoa

What is Cacao

Cacao is the seeds of the Theobroma cacao, which is native to the tropical regions in Central and South America. These plants have two edible parts: the seed (beans) and the fruit.  If you have eaten chocolate, this means you’ve eaten cacao seeds. Once cacao is fermented, ground to a paste, and sweetened or flavoured, we call it cocoa.

Although the word cacao is traditionally used to refer to the raw seeds of Theobroma cacao, manufacturers of raw vegan food products are recently using this product to differentiate their products from products made of roasted cocoa beans. For example, cocoa powder vs raw cacao powder.  This name helps to indicate that these products more natural than other cocoa products in the market. Moreover, most recipes that call for cacao begin with cacao nibs, which is dried and fermented cacao seeds that are ground to pieces.

What is Cocoa

Cocoa is the dark brown powder made from cacao beans, used to make chocolate and add a chocolate flavour to food and drink. Cocoa is the basis of chocolate. Bitter chocolate is made by pressing roasted cocoa seeds between hot rollers. Cocoa powder is made by squeezing the cocoa butter (the fat part) from bitter chocolate and grinding the remaining material into a powder. Adding sugar and vanilla to bitter chocolate produces sweet chocolate. White chocolate, on the other hand, is a result of adding sugar, milk solids and cocoa butter.

Around 300 to 600 beans are processed to make 1kg of chocolate. Converting cacao to cocoa to chocolate involves several steps. The first step includes plucking the cacao pods by hand (machines could damage the pods and trees) and splicing them open to remove the seeds. Fresh seeds are not brown in colour and do not taste like chocolate at all.  The next step in the processing is fermentation. During fermentation, which could around five to eight days, seeds turn into a brown colour. What follows next is drying, which usually takes about a week. After these processes, cocoa beans are sent to factories to make chocolate.

Relationship Between Cocoa and Cacao

• Cocoa beans are the processed cacao beans.
• Cocoa and cocoa ultimately result in chocolate.
• Manufacturers of raw vegan food products used the term cacao to differentiate their products from products made of roasted cocoa beans.

Difference Between Cocoa and Cacao

Definition

Cacao refers to the raw beans of Theobroma cacao tree, while cocoa refers to the processed beans of the same tree.

Powder

Cocoa powder is made by squeezing the cocoa butter (the fat part) from bitter chocolate and grinding the remaining material into a powder. They are usually highly processed and contain added sugar. Powder labelled as cacao powder, on the other hand, is minimally processed.

Conclusion

Cacao is actually the basis of both cocoa and chocolate. Cacao refers to the raw, unprocessed seeds of the cacao plant. We use the word cocoa to talk about processed seeds of the cacao plant. Moreover, cocoa seeds are the ultimate basis of chocolate. Therefore, the difference between cocoa and cacao is that cocoa refers to the processed beans, while cacao refers to the raw beans.

Reference:

1. Abarbanel, Aliza. “What Is Cacao, And How Does It Relate to Chocolate?” Bon Appétit, 24 July 2020, Available here.
2. “The Production of Chocolate.” The World Atlas of Chocolate, Available here.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Matadecacao” By Luisovalles – Own work (CC BY 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Gourmet Cocoa Raw Material Food Chocolate” (CC0) via Max Pixel