Raw cocoa - or what kind of cocoa?

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Is there such a thing as “raw cacao”?

Over the past few years, the world of healthy eating has gradually begun to adopt a certain consensus regarding so-called “highly processed foods.” Namely, that it is, as a rule, the worst (“junk”!) kind of food. And indeed, as modern medicine indicates, eating food that is deep-fried, full of saturated fats, and lacking in fiber and vitamins negatively affects our digestive system, raises cholesterol and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease ¹ ², and possibly even depression ³; Unprocessed foods, on the other hand, so fruits and vegetables, fish full of valuable fatty acids, cereals and whole-grain bread have a beneficial effect on the functioning of many systems in our body. So, according to the principle of “you are what you eat,” it would seem to make sense to always bet on what is unprocessed: fresh, natural and raw. However, as with any general dietary rule, similar simplifications can lead us astray.

So let's talk about raw cacao.

Raw cacao, whose health-promoting properties we wrote about here (link), as an unprocessed product, is a great candidate to hit the list of products worth consuming. Unfortunately, however, there has been some recent controversy over the term “raw” in relation to delicious products based on the cocoa fruit. To be more precise, it can be questioned whether the preparations (sic!) sold under the name of “raw cacao” or “cacao paste” are really raw. And if they are not, are they worth consuming? What does it mean for cocoa to be raw? Are there raw cacao beans? Is it worth consuming cacao paste? We explain.

Raw ceremonial cacao from Guatemala

Cocoa production process

We've written about the process of cocoa production here (link), but it's worth recalling in telegraphic detail exactly what it consists of. Let's start with the cacao fruit itself, full of precious beans. It is from these that full-flavored and full-fat cocoa will soon be created, which - and this we can be sure of - will not be flavored with any additives such as sugar, flavors or dyes during the process described here. This also works the other way: in the process of producing raw cocoa, no intermediates, including naturally occurring fats, are intentionally removed from the beans. However, the beans are subjected to certain treatments that would cast doubt on its “raw” state.

What kind of treatments are these?

First, we are talking about fermentation, which in its traditional form involves wrapping the seeds in banana leaves and placing them in a wooden box, where yeast, bacteria and other microorganisms break down the sugars in the seeds ⁴ ⁵. This fermentation would have occurred anyway - the methods used by cocoa makers only help control the process and enhance the final flavor of the finished product. However, a controversy arises already here, because according to the popular definition of unprocessed food, it should not be heated to more than 48 degrees Celsius ⁶ ⁷. Meanwhile, as Robbie Stout, one of the founders of the Ritual Chocolate company, notes, even in the fermentation process itself, the grains reach temperatures higher than this magic limit. This is also confirmed by other sources ⁸ ⁹. So since the fermentation itself takes place in such warm conditions, let alone... roasting!

Drying of cocoa beans

Well, that's right, because the second process the beans undergo after fermentation is roasting - a procedure that raises the temperature of the seeds to well above the neighborhood of 50 degrees. Roasting, however, is an optional process, since cocoa is always subjected to one more treatment, which can be quite sufficient, namely: drying. Unfortunately, however, there is controversy here as well: according to some manufacturers, unroasted cocoa (and therefore only dried) is produced below 48 degrees Celsius; while according to others, even drying raises the temperature of the seeds above this limit ¹⁰.

Opinions are similarly divided on the grinding of grains, during which friction itself raises the temperature of the product ¹¹. But it seems that, whether we want it or not, the fermentation of cocoa itself excludes it from the list of truly raw products. “The only cacao that is truly raw,” says Greg D'Alessandre, founder of Dandelion Chocolate, “are the cacao seeds as they are taken out of the cacao fruit.” However, the beans in that state are unpalatable, to say the least ¹² and downright inedible ¹³.

Thus, the above information would indicate that “raw cocoa,” sold in the form of paste or roasted seeds, does not exist. However, before making a final judgment, let's consider the problem a little deeper.

“Raw” - meaning basically what kind of raw?

As Gustavo Cerna, a cocoa producer from Nicaragua, points out, the term “raw cacao” has not only confused the world of flavor fans with chocolate, but and is now used far too freely ¹⁴. In fact, it can be said with a high degree of certainty that there is no (edible) cocoa in its raw state and every cocoa product is processed to some degree. But does that immediately remove cacao paste (ceremonial cacao) and other products available under the name “raw” from the list of foods worth eating?

As the producers at Santa Barbara Chocolate point out, the mere fact that a product has been fermented and heated to a (relatively) high temperature, and then subjected to roasting and drying, may make it no longer “raw,” but it is still.... as close to raw as possible ¹⁵! This means that when we eat “raw” cocoa, we are eating a product that has undergone only those procedures that make it edible - and not one more. Let's keep in mind that food can be processed in a variety of ways, and although in striving for our own health we will choose steaming rather than deep-frying, certain types of food cannot be consumed without undergoing some - even minimal - processing. That said, it is also worth noting that one can choose to consume cocoa only dried, rather than roasted ¹⁶. Finally, some cocoa beans are still subjected to alkalization after fermentation, drying and grinding, but this process robs the product of some of its valuable properties, So some producers have abandoned this part of the processing ¹⁷.

Raw cocoa - a matter of definition

While the above considerations indicate that there is no such thing as raw cacao, we at Chocante recommend some caution. After all, it is difficult to look at food in a zero-one manner: food is rarely unequivocally healthy or unequivocally unhealthy. The same is true of the problem of raw cocoa, by the way, which is strongly related to health-promoting issues. Cocoa may never truly be raw, but that doesn't necessarily make it not worth consuming. On the other hand, if we consider unprocessed foods to be products that have undergone only absolutely necessary processes, cocoa paste and other products offered by manufacturers of real cocoa certainly meet this less stringent criterion.

From our own sources, we know that the producers themselves deplore the confusion over the term “raw cocoa,” even treating it as a marketing ploy. Let's say it again: truly raw cocoa is not only unpalatable, but also inedible, and may even be harmful: according to some sources, only the roasting process kills the mycotoxins and dangerous bacteria present in fermented beans ¹⁸, and, of course, it adds a unique flavor to food. The offerings for products such as cocoa paste and cocoa beans for crunching therefore include cocoa as close to raw as possible. This is “almost raw” cocoa ¹⁹, edible and safe.

Ultimately, then, the problem of “rawness” is a problem of definition. If you love raw products and cocoa, care about your health and remember that not every processing of food must deprive it of its valuable properties, real cocoa remains a great choice for you. We settle the matter as follows, and perhaps somewhat paradoxically: there is no such thing as raw cocoa. Unless you are talking about the most raw cocoa possible - and we strongly recommend such!