Gary Guittard President/Chairman Guittard Chocolate Company
Origins and Evolution of Chocolate
Criollo
Tribute to the King
Aztec cultivation
Main Regions Cultivated with Cocoa by Meso American Populations Sinkholes cultivated by rich Maya class Pacific coastal plains of Guatemala and Chiapas region of Mexico
Criollo Pentagona
Porcelana Blanco
Soldjer Beach Guanaja The Crossroad
Soldier Beach Guanaja
Cocoa domestication WILD FORASTERO POPULATIONS CRIOLLO
Forastero pods
Forastero
Spread of Cocoa Culture in South America progressively transformed in cultivated areas (17th) large cocoa exportation towards Mexico and Guatemala in 1635 Ecuadorian coast: large forest with wild cocoa Forastero (Nacional) Venezuela : wild Criollo cocoa trees existed near Maracaibo region before Spanish arrival used by indians for ritual ceremonies establishment of cocoa plantations from this wild cocoa Brazil : extensive areas of wild cocoa, on the Amazonian lands collected by jesuites Forastero type of cocoa (Amelonado) first only collected (1639) Court. Claire Lanaud, CIRAD cocoa culture moved to the coastal region of Bahia (1750) after introduction of an Amelonado type
Chuao
Spread of Cocoa Culture in the Caribbean Islands Importance of Trinidad in cocoa varieties history first Criollo cultures developed since 1525 by Spanish Capucins 1727: disaster (unknown nature) new introductions of seeds from Venezuela, but probably from wild Forastero present in the Orinoco basin Natural hybridizations with remaining original Criollo hybrid types called TRINITARIO vigourous and productive Court. Claire Lanaud, CIRAD Spread of Trinitario types on the continent (early 1800 s) and in all the world (ICS selections in 1930) genetic mixing with original CRIOLLO
Trinitario pod
Trinitario
Trinitario
Summary of Cocoa Domestication Before 1950, three main varieties at the origin of all cocoa cultivated all around the world TRINITARIO CRIOLLO x FORASTERO ( 250 years) CRIOLLO domesticated for 2000 years NACIONAL domesticated for 450 years(1635) WILD FORASTERO POPULATIONS L.A. FORASTERO domesticated for 350 years(1750) NACIONAL x TRINITARIO ( 100 years) Court. Claire Lanaud, CIRAD
Bean Classifications Forastero Bulk, basis of chocolate flavor 90% of world crop Criollo Original or ancient cacao Considered fine flavor Less than 1% of world crop Trinitario 9% Hybrid between Forastero and Criollo
Replanting Trees in Other Countries Difficulty in exporting cocoa because of war was one of the main reason countries began to rely on their colonies to grow cocoa throughout the world.
Spread of Cocoa Culture in Asia Spanish British Dutch Ceylan java Philippines Celebes (Sulawesi) Madagascar Fidji Court. Claire Lanaud, CIRAD
Spread of Cocoa Culture in Africa 1920 Fernando Pô Principe Sao Tome 1822 o o o 1874 Court. Claire Lanaud, CIRAD
Where did Quetzalcoatl First Fluff his Feathers Vavilov, Russian agronomist, postulated that areas where crops had the most diversity was the area of their origination. Pound and Cheesman believed that the area with the most diversity was the eastern side of the Andes in Ecuador and beyond. From the Upper Amazon foothills 200m to the lowlands.
The Birthplace of Cocoa Claire Lenaud and Juan Carlos Motamayor
Claire Lenaud Juan Carlos Motamayor
Incremental degradation. Today Why the cocoa renaissance? Renewed interest in food - where it came from. Why one tomato tastes different than another. Since 1900 Slow movement towards the use of bulk cocoa. Process based flavor development Not very diverse, certainly not as much as in the Past.
Last 20 to 30 years Sustainable Farm Production: Raising the standard of living for the farmer Farmer Security: Disease protection Supply Sustainability: Manufacturer concern for supply Have led to a perfect storm for developing and planting new trees.
So What s the Problem??? Much of the breeding has been done for disease resistance and productivity but without any focus on flavor. All chocolate tastes the same doesn t it? Not taking into consideration the effect prolific large production trees have on the soil and the inability of certain countries to replenish both macro and micro nutrients because of weak infrastructures. Possibly making trees more susceptible to disease
Where has all the flavor gone? Ecuador CCN Java Criollo West Africa Many others in the process or on the starting line Ivory Coast Incremental degradation
What Can We Do? Coordinated Effort.Education 1. The new 10 genetic Classifications need to be adopted by breeders and research centers as a means of study. 2. These New Classifications need to be assessed for flavor 3. Classic flavor cocoas need to be looked at in light of this new knowledge. 4. Countries, breeders, traders, NGO s and manufacturers need to understand the importance of flavor in what the heck they re planting. 5. High productivity needs to be looked at in light of its impact on the environment and ultimately the health of the trees to resist disease. Soil micro-nutrients need to be researched.
Understanding flavor will add more fun!
If we know where we came from we can better navigate the future.