Let a square of chocolate melt slowly on your tongue, and sometimes, just behind the sweetness, you'll notice a hint of fruit or flowers. That aroma depends a great deal on the cacao variety and on how the beans are fermented. Heirloom varieties prized for their aroma, however, have long been thought to produce small harvests, so farmers have often planted commercial varieties that bear more heavily instead. A study from smallholder farms in northern Peru suggests it's time to rethink that assumption.
A Peruvian Heirloom Named for Its White Beans
The researchers studied Blanco de Piura, a native cacao that has grown for generations in the Piura region of northern Peru. "Blanco" is Spanish for "white." The variety reportedly got its name because many of the beans inside its pods are pale or whitish rather than deep purple. It is well known as a fine-flavor cacao, prized for its taste and aroma, and is used to make premium chocolate.
Cacao trees grow within about 20 degrees north and south of the equator. These regions are hot, humid, and frost-free, with temperatures that generally stay between 18 and 32°C (about 64 to 90°F). Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Peru are among the largest growers. Because the trees can't handle cold, it's very hard to get one to fruit on a balcony or in a backyard garden in a temperate climate.
Yield Comes Down to Tree Care
The study was led by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (the International Center for Tropical Agriculture) and the University of Göttingen in Germany. The Norandino agricultural cooperative (Cooperativa Agraria Norandino) also took part. The researchers measured how much Blanco de Piura smallholders in northern Peru could harvest.
They found that the variety can average 1,200–1,500 kg of dried beans per hectare (10,000 m², or about 2.5 acres). That's on par with the commercial varieties widely planted across Latin America. It also contradicts the long-held belief that growers have to give up yield to get better flavor.
The researchers noted, however, that harvests this large depend on good tree management. The same variety can yield noticeably more or less depending on how it's cared for. Cacao growers commonly prune to control tree height and let in the right amount of light. They also plant shade trees to moderate the sun and pick off diseased pods early. The published findings don't show the effect of each practice, so it's too soon to say which one raised yields the most.
Fine-flavor cacao often sells for more than ordinary cacao. These results give smallholders one more reason to keep growing their native trees.
What to Know When You Eat Cacao
Cacao beans contain two compounds worth knowing about. One is flavanols, a type of polyphenol. The other is theobromine, a mild stimulant that works a bit like caffeine. Several studies suggest cocoa flavanols may help support blood vessel health. Results vary with how much people eat and in what form, though, so it's too early to draw firm conclusions. Flavanol levels are also known to drop during fermentation, roasting, and alkalizing (also called Dutch processing).
Chocolate is a processed food that contains both sugar and fat. It's easier on your body to eat small amounts of bars with a high cacao percentage and few additives. Cacao nibs (roasted cacao beans broken into small pieces) aren't sweet. Try sprinkling about 10 g over yogurt or over strawberries and blueberries fresh from your garden. Theobromine is toxic to dogs and cats, so store chocolate and cacao nibs where pets can't get to them.
Next time you shop for chocolate, look on the back of the wrapper for the origin and variety. If you see Peru or Blanco de Piura listed, let a square melt slowly and notice which aromas come through.
Source: Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT; University of Göttingen; Cooperativa Agraria Norandino. Study of Blanco de Piura cacao yields in northern Peru.
