The one true chocolate
The delicate but highly prized "criollo" variant of the cacao plant had been thought lost forever. Most of the world's chocolate is produced from the beans of the hardier and more prolific "forastero" plant, the Mother Nature Network reports, while the high-end chocolates -- about 10% of the total -- come from a criollo-forastero hybrid known as trinitario.
Now, surviving plants of the pure criollo strain have been found in Madagascar by the fair trade and fine chocolate advocates at the Madecasse Chocolate Co. Also discovered during the cacao quest were plants of the rare amelonado variety.
Great news for growers and gourmands -- and, perhaps, for the island's fragile ecosystem.
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Now, surviving plants of the pure criollo strain have been found in Madagascar by the fair trade and fine chocolate advocates at the Madecasse Chocolate Co. Also discovered during the cacao quest were plants of the rare amelonado variety.
Great news for growers and gourmands -- and, perhaps, for the island's fragile ecosystem.
This entry is cross-posted from www.dreamwidth.org, where there are
comments. Comment where ye will.