Cacao is a fruit that grows on the Theobroma cacao tree (family Malvaceae), blooming in scattered areas from its trunk and mid-branches of the tree. The cacao tree primarily grows in Africa, South America and Central America.
One of the world’s most popular products, which is chocolate, comes from the cacao. Chocolate is made from cacao beans.
What are cacao beans?
Cacao beans are the seeds of the cacao fruit, which is harvested from the cacao tree.
What are cacao nibs?
Cacao nibs are made from cacao beans. Cacao nibs are small crushed pieces of cacao beans. To make cacao nibs, producers first dry and ferment the cacao pods. And then, they crack them into small pieces. Some nibs are roasted, while others aren’t. Unroasted cacao nibs are called raw cacao nibs.
What is Cacao Powder?
Raw and fermented cacao beans ground into a powder and then it becomes cacao powder.
Cacao powder is similar to cocoa powder, but cacao powder is more nutritious because it is unprocessed or less processed than cocoa powder.
Studies considered that the unprocessed or pure Cacao Powder is one of the rarest superfoods that has a lot of health benefits.
Difference between cacao powder and cocoa powder
Cacao powder is made from unroasted fermented cacao beans. Cacao powder is made by cold-pressed cacao beans, which helps to retain the natural enzymes, nutrient value and rich antioxidant content. Cacao powder is bitter in taste and higher in nutritional value.
On the other hand, cocoa powder is made from roasted cacao beans. To make cocoa powder, cacao beans are roasted at high temperatures, which is a major step in the process that develops its characteristic flavour and reduces its nutritional content. Cocoa powder may contain additives like sugar and dairy.
What is cacao powder used for?
Cacao powder is used in various ways, from baking cakes, cookies, brownies to creating smoothies, hot chocolate, topping for desserts and breakfast dishes etc. Cacao powder adds a chocolatey flavor to food and also increases the nutrient content of the food.
Here are various uses of Cacao Powder
Smoothie:
Hot Chocolate:
Toppings:
Bliss Balls:
Cacao powder can be a great ingredient for making healthy bliss balls, along with ingredients like almond meal and nut butter.
Healthy Chocolate Truffles:
You can make healthy chocolate truffles using cacao powder, prunes and dates.
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