Cocoa bean: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	cacao bean

Photos

Hands opening a red cocoa pod on the tree to reveal clusters of soft, white seeds inside. Several whole cocoa pods hang from branches in the background.

Chunks of natural cocoa butter on a wooden board, with a bowl of cocoa beans and scattered beans in the background.

cocoa powder and cocoa beans

A cocoa farmer in a sleeveless shirt holds a machete and displays an open cocoa pod with raw cocoa beans in a plantation in Kumasi, Ghana.

Brazilian cocoa pods

See All Images →

Topics

cocoa chocolate cocoa butter Forastero Criollo How is chocolate made?caffeine Cacao seed chia quinoa Amaranth Buckwheat pine nut Can Apple Seeds Kill You?poppy seed Job’s tears What Is the Difference Between a Grain and a Seed?

Chef tossing vegetables in a frying pan over a burner (skillet, food).

What’s on the Menu? Vocabulary Quiz

Slices of lemon pie topped with meringue.

Baking and Baked Goods Quiz