From the cacao tree, we mainly know chocolate and by extension the cocoa beans used to make it. Mucilage is the name of the fruity flesh that surrounds the cocoa beans contained in the pod. Thus, mucilage juice is simply the juice of the fruit of the cacao tree. It is also sometimes called cocoa juice. End of story? Not really, because while an overwhelming majority of Western consumers know chocolate, most of these same people have never tasted the fruit juice of the cacao tree.
Fresh fruit juice
Paradoxically, many cocoa farmers know the flavors of cocoa pulp but have not tasted chocolate. While it is difficult to transport chocolate to a tropical plantation without it melting, the reverse is also true. Indeed, under these conditions, the pods ferment quickly after harvesting. This is why the juice extracted from the mucilage is drunk soon after being pressed.
Similarly, due to its rapid fermentation, mucilage juice is the basis of several cocoa alcohols. Be careful, these alcohols are to be distinguished from the chocolate-flavored liqueurs that we know in more northern countries. Taste variations to discover in this article on other uses of cocoa.
Where to find pasteurized mucilage juice?
Surprisingly, while some of the mucilage is retained during bean fermentation, a good portion of the pulp becomes waste. It was this observation that motivated the company Koa to valorize this material. How? By pressing fresh cocoa at the harvest site. Thanks to solar panels that make the installation energy independent, the fresh fruit juice collected can be directly pasteurized on site. In addition, the process preserves the beans, which can still be used to produce chocolate. The icing on the cake is that farmers earn the price of their bean harvest, as well as the juice. This increases their income.
Other companies market pasteurized cocoa juice more traditionally through dedicated factories. In addition, locally, it is sometimes possible to find chilled cocoa juice, but it is mainly offered freshly pressed when not pasteurized.
What does cocoa mucilage juice taste like?
A tropical fruit, cocoa is rich in flavor and sugar. Many people compare it to lychee, probably because they are familiar with this reference. However, the flavor is generally more complex, ranging from exotic fruit notes to something floral and sweet, indeed reminiscent of lychee. If it were possible to compare the juices of different varieties of pods, the taste palette would probably be much larger.
In our latitudes, what is surprising is the absence of acidity; a taste often associated with many tropical fruits. Similarly, the texture of the juice is thicker than that of apple juice while remaining fluid. Clearly, cocoa has not finished surprising us!
And you, have you ever drunk cocoa mucilage juice? What did you think of it?
Find the original article on the website Les Chocolats de Nicolas.
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