Is cocoa bean a fruit or vegetable?

Is cocoa bean a fruit or vegetable?

Cacao (or cocoa) beans are technically not beans or legumes, but rather the seeds of the fruit of the Theobroma cacao tree. The pod shaped fruit is botanically classified as baccate-like (berry-like) and each pod produces approximately 35-50 seeds surrounded by a sweet pulp [2].

Who owns cocoa Bean Bakery?

Paul Saucedo
Owner and pastry chef Paul Saucedo is a graduate of Kendall College of Chicago. His culinary career spans more than 25 years at such prestigious restaurants and hotels as The Ritz Carlton Hotel in Chicago, Rhapsody Restaurant in Chicago, and the Grand Hotel Adolphus in Dallas.

Where is cocoa beans grown?

Cocoa beans are produced in tropical zones around the Equator, where climate conditions are well suited for growing cocoa trees. About 70 percent of the world’s cocoa beans come from four West African countries: Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon.

What color is cocoa bean?

Immature cocoa pods have a variety of colours, but most often are green, red, or purple, and as they mature, their colour tends towards yellow or orange, particularly in the creases.

What food group is cocoa in?

Cocoa powder is a member of the Sweets USDA nutritional food group.

What is inside a cocoa bean?

Each pod contains beans, the seeds of the fruit that are shaped like a flat almond, surrounded by a sweet pulp. There are roughly 30-50 beans in a typical pod. These beans are what ultimately get transformed into cocoa powder or chocolate.

Are cocoa beans real beans?

Cocoa beans, or cacao beans, come from the Theobroma cacao tree. The Theobroma cacao tree is a fruit tree, whose name means “food of the gods”. The cacao beans, which are technically seeds, grow inside pods surrounded by a white fleshy pulp known as Baba.

Who is the biggest chocolate producer in the world?

Leading chocolate companies worldwide 2016, based on market share. The candy company Mars controls a 14.4 percent share of the global chocolate market, making it the largest chocolate company in the world. Mars is famous for such chocolate candy brands as M&M’s, Snickers, and Twix to name a few.

Is chocolate a red?

Picture chocolate, either as a food or a color. You’re probably imagining a deep, rich brown: a chocolate lab, chocolate chips, hot chocolate. “Chocolate” was a deep red because that’s the color of unprocessed cocoa beans. …

Is cocoa a nut?

1. Chocolate is actually a nut! All chocolate is made from the large seed (nut) of the cacao fruit. This nut is called the cacao bean or cocoa bean.