Ceremonial cacao – genuine Peruvian Criollo

About the product

100% pure cacao mass made from Criollo beans from the Peruvian Amazon. Unroasted and cold-pressed. 500 g block.

Genuine Peruvian Criollo – the cacao once called the food of the gods.

When Carl Linnaeus named the cacao tree in 1753, he gave it the name Theobroma – food of the gods. Long before cacao became chocolate, it was a drink for ceremonies, feasts and vows, brewed by people who knew the bean held something more than flavour.

Criollo is the original cacao and the rarest of the three main varieties. Less than five percent of the world's cacao is Criollo. The beans are pale and mild, with a soft bitterness and notes of red fruit and flowers – a deep, round cacao that lingers in the mouth.

Our beans grow in the Amazon rainforest of Peru, close to the regions where people began using cacao more than 5,000 years ago. They are never roasted. Instead they are ground and cold-pressed into a dense mass that keeps the bean's own cacao butter. What is in the block is only cacao – with its natural content of theobromine and magnesium.

The block breaks easily into pieces. Melt 20–40 g slowly in hot water or plant milk, never let it boil, and whisk into a soft froth. Add cinnamon, chilli or vanilla if you like. Step-by-step instructions are in our guide Ceremonial cacao – step-by-step recipe (in Swedish), and if you would rather have the spices ready-mixed, try our ceremonial cacao blend. To learn more about the history and ceremony of cacao, read What is ceremonial cacao? Everything you need to know (in Swedish).

Store in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. The cacao then keeps its flavour and quality for many months.

Food product. Ingredients: 100% cacao mass (Theobroma cacao). Net weight: 500 g. Best before: see packaging.