ETYM Spanish, from Mex. kakahuatl. Related to Cocoa, Chocolate.
Cocoa tree and seed.
Tropical American evergreen tree Theobroma cacao of the Sterculia family, now also cultivated in W Africa and Sri Lanka. Its seeds are cocoa beans, from which cocoa and chocolate are prepared.
The trees mature at five to eight years and produce two crops a year. The fruit is 17–25 cm/6.5–9.5 in long, hard and ridged, with the beans inside. The seeds are called cocoa nibs; when left to ferment, then roasted and separated from the husks, they contain about 50% fat, part of which is removed to make chocolate and cocoa. The Aztecs revered cacao and made a drink for the nobility only from cocoa beans and chilis, which they called chocolatl. In the 16th century Spanish traders brought cacao to Europe. It was used to make a drink, which came to rival coffee and tea in popularity.
1. Seed of the cacao tree; ground roasted beans are source of chocolate; SYN. cocoa bean.
2. Tropical American tree producing cacao beans; SYN. cacao tree, chocolate tree, Theobroma cacao.
Sorte d'amande enfermée dans une capsule, et qui, étant rôtie, broyée et mise en pâte, fait le principal ingrédient du chocolat.
Comunidad in Puerto Rico (USA).