Cacao Fruit Juice

Learn an easy method to juice cacao pods, and enjoy the tangy, sweet-sour flavor of cacao fruit in a frothy drink.

Cacao fruit is delicious. While it tastes nothing like chocolate, the fruit pulp surrounding the seeds also has deep complexity but with bright, fruity flavors of strawberry, pineapple, banana, nectarine, plum, and/or mango. The amazing cacao trees not only give us the material for chocolate but also a Sweet-Tart candy in a very cool cacao pod wrapper.

Try this frothy and creamy cacao juice and macadamia nut drink.

Unfortunately, the fruit is glued to the seed and cannot be easily separated. The best way to enjoy the flavor is to do what the Amazonian monkeys do: slowly suck on the fruit, seed by seed. And yet, people do drink cacao juice and make cacao pulp candies, so separation is possible.

Cacao juice (sometimes called “nectar,” which is a fitting name for a liquid so viscous) is a byproduct of fermenting large amounts of cacao beans. The pressure of piles of pulp-rich seeds in fermentation vessels squeezes out juice, which is collected. More juice dribbles out of the fermentation during the first few days, as microbes break down the pulp.

We can collect a small amount of juice from home-scale fermentations in the same way. Scoop the fruity seeds into a colander to collect the nectar for an hour or two before transferring the seeds to the fermentation vessel. The amount you collect will seem small, but the flavor is huge. Enjoy the nectar by adding to carbonated water, allow to ferment for a week in the refrigerator, or dehydrate into a jelly (as I describe in my book One Cacao Tree).

OK, but what if you only have one pod or a couple of pods? I heard of a technique from sources in a few cacao-growing countries that honestly just seemed too simple, until I finally tried it and found that it works well. For good results, use fruit that is flavorful and quite juicy, not drier or younger fruit pulp.

For cacao juice from one pod:

Empty the fruit/seeds of a cacao pod into a bowl. Set aside the pod and placenta for other projects. Add a cup of purified, cold water and massage the seeds with your hands for a few minutes. The water will become cloudy and a bit frothy. Strain the juicy water from the seeds. You can use a colander if you’d like pieces of pulp included or a sieve for pulpless juice.

This cacao juice is obviously much less concentrated than the nectar obstained from fermentation run-off, but it still has a lot of flavor. If you’d like, concentrate it by dehydrating or simmering.

A frothy cacao juice drink:

Warm the cup of cacao juice and add a spoonful of macadamia nut butter. Use a whisk or immersion blender to work up a froth. You now have an unusual, creamy drink that can be made 100% local. The fruity and nutty flavors are distinct but harmonious, like a PB&J sandwich. I garnish the drink with fresh-ground nutmeg.

What’s your method of juicing cacao fruit, and how do you like to use this delicious gift?

News:

Come see me at Hawaiian Sanctuary in Pāhoa on Thursday May 25, 9:00am-noon. I’ll be talking about tiny cacao fermentations and home chocolate making for their Plant Aloha Permaculture Education Series. Bring your questions and your homemade chocolate!

Find my book on O‘ahu at Down to Earth Mo‘ili‘ili and Kaka‘ako stores, in San Francisco at Omnivore Books, and on the Big Island at Basically Books, Island Naturals, The Locavore Store, Kona Bay Books, and Papa‘aloa Joe Coffee Company. Please send suggestions for other natural food stores, nurseries, and bookshops, especially on Mau‘i, Kaua‘i, and in Florida. Mahalo piha for your help and support!