I have worked in Africa for a long time, and I have been impressed by the natural scenery of Africa, and at the same time I have accumulated a large amount of picture material, and now I have free time to share it with interested people.
Cocoa trees originate near the equator of the Americas, and are later widely planted in Africa, Southeast Asia and southern America, and are also planted in Hainan and southern Yunnan in China.
The cocoa fruit grows on trunks or thick branches, is oval-ovate, initially green, and turns red or yellow when ripe.
Three thousand years ago, the American Maya began to plant cacao trees, dried and crushed the harvested cacao beans, added peppers and water, and mixed into special bitter drinks, which could produce excitement after drinking.
In the 16th century, spaniards were interested in the drinks carried by visiting Mayans, so Spaniards also began to drink this drink, adding sugar and other ingredients, which were popular with the court and nobles.
After that, cocoa drinks became popular in Europe until 1674, when solid chocolate was made by the French. Cocoa gradually became a popular drink and food.
Cocoa trees generally bear fruit in five years and should have a lifespan of fifty years, but in fact, it is believed that when the cocoa tree grows to twenty-five years, the economic use value reaches the end, and then it is necessary to replant.
The cacao tree is generally 20 feet tall and is an evergreen tree species that bears fruit all year round. The roots of the cocoa tree are shallow, the branches are easy to break, workers cannot climb the tree to pick fruit, and most people use machetes to pick.
After harvesting, the cacao fruit needs to be dried and peeled, and there are 20 to 50 cocoa beans in each cacao fruit, about 50 to 60 grams after drying, and about 400 cocoa beans for a pound of chocolate. Cocoa beans are the main raw material for the manufacture of cocoa powder and chocolate.
The coastal countries of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa are located near the equator, the climate is hot and rainy, the soil is fertile, very conducive to the growth of cocoa trees, the cocoa beans produced here are of high quality and sell well in the international market.
This is not a cocoa nut, it's an African snail.
Every year, China imports cocoa beans from Africa and processes them into cocoa powder or chocolate, and also provides various assistance to Africa. Deep wells have been drilled in many villages where cocoa beans are produced to improve the living conditions of the local people and are popular among the African people.
Written on the afternoon of August 14, 2020.