Fermenting cacao seeds
On a cacao plantation in Barlovento, Venezuela, cacao seeds are fermenting in a wooden bucket. The seeds come from cacao pods, which grow on the Thebroma Cacao tree. Fermentation, which converts the seeds' sugars into acids, is the first step in the process of making the seeds into cocoa. The fermentation process lasts from two to eight days and causes the seeds to develop their distinct cocoa flavor. The fermented seeds will later be dried in the sun, roasted, peeled, and ground.
![<img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://statelibrarync.org/learnnc/sites/default/files/images/p7080607r.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Fermenting cacao seeds" title="Fermenting cacao seeds" /> <img typeof="foaf:Image" src="http://statelibrarync.org/learnnc/sites/default/files/images/p7080607r.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="Fermenting cacao seeds" title="Fermenting cacao seeds" />](https://ncpedia.org/sites/default/files//styles/anchor_images/public/p7080607r.jpg?itok=F_uiZCKK)
Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
This item has a Creative Commons license for re-use. This Creative Commons BY-NC-SA license means that you may use, remix, tweak, and build upon the work for non-commerical purposes as long as you credit the original creator and as long as you license your new creation using the same license. For more information about Creative Commons licensing and a link to the license, see full details at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.