Dancing the Cocoarena

As if jaw-dropping tropical beauty wasn't enough, St. Lucia also offers one of nature's most important treasures--chocolate! Several cocoa plantations dot the lush southern part of the island. I toured Fond Doux Estate, a locally owned organic cocoa plantation in Soufriere, where I witnessed the cocoarena dance.




After the cocoa beans have dried, workers jump into a basin and dance on hundreds of beans. They swivel their hips and toss up their heels better than any of the "Macarena" girls. Besides entertainment, the dance polishes the beans and removes any blemishes.




The beans are placed in a drying bin and left to roast in the sun for 2-3 weeks. That's after the initial drying and fermentation period of 5-6 weeks. Only a small percentage of the beans make the cut to be shipped to Hershey's chocolate company in Pennsylvania.




Before they are dried and polished,cocoa beans are nestled in cocoa pods, covered in a custard-like substance. I sampled some of the fresh beans right out of the pods. They taste like lychee, with a slightly sweet, vaguely acidic flavor. You don't chew on them but suck them until the flavor evaporates.



After they beans have been completely dried and polished, about five percent are selected for roasting and then grinding with a mortar and pestle. The beans are grounded into a paste and then rolled into cocoa sticks,which are used to make the Caribbean favorite, cocoa tea. Cocoa tea is basically hot cocoa with a richer, more earthy flavor. After watching all of the work it takes to produce organic chocolate, I'll savor my gourmet chocolate treats all the more!