What are the benefits of cocoa?

A brief look at its history and use

The use of cocoa by man does not date from yesterday since it seems to date back to the 2nd millennium BC... The beans, first used as currency by some populations, were then reserved for the nobles who consumed them in the form of drinks or during religious ceremonies depending on the tribe. The drink of the Aztec nobles, composed of water, cocoa powder, chili pepper and roucou, was modernized by the colonial elite in the 15th century, who decided that bitterness was not so much of a taste and chose to add sugar to the mixture, and to prefer cinnamon to chili pepper. The ancestor of milk chocolate was born! It was at the Spanish court that milk was used instead of water to make the gourmet drink we know today. Louis XIV, not a big fan of morning Benco, contributed to delay its arrival in France.

How do we get cocoa? And chocolate / cocoa ?

Cocoa powder is obtained by grinding the almond contained in the cocoa bean. The pod (the fruit of the cocoa tree) contains about ten beans, rich in lipids and proteins. The powder obtained has given rise to a multitude of recipes and uses, both culinary and cosmetic, over the centuries.

France is an importer of cocoa, the majority of the production coming from West Africa, South-East Asia or Latin America. Faced with a highly fluctuating market and to defend their interests, the major producing countries and associated industrialists have joined together in an intergovernmental organization for cooperation and lobbying: COPAL (Cocoa Producing Countries), under the "Abidjan Charter". This organization includes 10 countries that represent 75% of the world's cocoa production.

After several stages, the beans are transformed into cocoa butter and oilcake, which once crushed give cocoa powder. The latter is the basis of all chocolate flavors: pastries, ice cream, confectionery, ganache, ... The cocoa butter is often used in chocolate, or by the cosmetics industry. You can also taste raw cocoa beans. As they have not been roasted, they have an antioxidant power up to 7 times higher than roasted cocoa. Finally, our famous chocolate is based on cocoa paste, to which we add different ingredients depending on the desired result.

The strengths of cocoa, especially for athletes

Please note that when we talk about cocoa here, we are talking about the following forms:

• Raw cocoa (whole beans to be chewed or crushed, called nibs), more bitter than the roasted and processed form but much richer in nutrients and beneficial compounds. Raw cocoa can also be consumed crushed and added to preparations (smoothies, yoghurts, cakes, ...). The criollo variety will be less bitter and fruitier than the forastero or trinitario (more full-bodied and basic). Finally, it exists in powder form which will be much less sweet than industrial cocoa (and more beneficial).

• Cocoa powder: obtained from cake, the pressed paste made from roasted beans.

• Dark chocolate at 70% or more: of course, cocoa can also be consumed in the form of chocolate! It will then be necessary to take care of the final composition of the product (sugar content, oils, ingredients used, origin, BIO...) in order to get the most out of it. It is made from roasted beans, crushed and transformed into cocoa butter, to which sugar is added (more or less depending on the percentage chosen).

And finally, good news: some chocolate artisans have started to make dark chocolate bars with raw cocoa! Another way to consume cocoa in its least processed form to get all its benefits. Whatever your choice, make it in a reasoned way, paying particular attention to the quality of the cocoa chosen. And in moderation, because too much cocoa or chocolate can be harmful.