Cocoa pod, butter and nibs

View largeOn display at and part of the 'tour' at the Chocolate museum in Brussels, Belgium.With less than 5% of cocoa flowers producing fruit (the cocoa pod) those who do grow them between 8 and 14 inches in length. The one shown is about 10 inches in length.Cocoa beans (foreground) are fermented for about 5 days during which their flavour develops and the seeds turn a rich shade of brown. The inside of the bean is called the nib (center) and they are ground into a non-alcoholic liquid named Chocolate Liquor. A hydraulic press (known as the broma process) squeezes the butter (seen above as the white block) out of the liquor. The remaining 50% is 'cocoa powder'. Different combinations of cocoa powder, nibs, milk, sugar, cream, amongst other ingredients make for the various combination of chocolates we find in our stores today.