Cacao powder known as “food of the gods” in the Mayan civilization of Central America is a well-known dessert ingredient and superfood. Cacao powder derived from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao tree also known as “the chocolate tree” is a solid created by grinding the seeds after the cocoa butter has been extracted.
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
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 America's Test Kitchen | 2020-04-22 16:00:19 |  268,691 Views |
Our taste test to find the best cocoa powder
Cocoa powder and cocoa butter are the main ingredients of one of the most beloved foods in the world: chocolate. Chocolate owes its melting texture to the presence of cocoa butter.
The powder is rich in flavonoids and antioxidants which make it a superfood. However these substances are partly lost when the cocoa powder is processed.
The cacao tree is native to Central America and only grows near the equator. The Mayans domesticated the cacao tree 5000 years ago and considered the plant a gift from the gods. For them and other pre-Columbian civilizations cacao was both a ritual drink and a means of payment. After Europeans discovered cacao and chocolate their appetite led to an increase in cacao plantations in Central and South America as well as in Asia.
