Fermentos
Metate chocolate: cacao's secret fermentation
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Origin: Oaxaca, Tabasco, and Chiapas · Yield: ~500 g of chocolate · Fermentation Time: 5-7 days (pre-harvest processed step) · Difficulty: High
Before becoming chocolate, cocoa undergoes an indispensable fermentation that develops flavor precursors. This recipe describes traditional metate chocolate, made with already fermented and dried cocoa.
Ingredients
- 500 g fermented and roasted cocoa
- 200 g sugar (optional, to taste)
- Cinnamon, to taste (optional)
Preparation
- (If starting with fresh beans: place the beans with their pulp in wooden boxes covered with banana leaves and let them ferment for 5-7 days, turning daily, before drying in the sun.)
- Shell the roasted cocoa.
- Grind on a stone metate along with the sugar and cinnamon until a homogeneous paste is formed.
- Form into tablets and let dry at room temperature.
Functional note: cocoa fermentation is an indispensable traditional step, present in chocolate production from Mesoamerican cultures to the current industry. This information is educational and does not substitute professional health advice.
Learn more on our Fermentation page.