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'''Madagascar is not widely known for its chocolate brands, at least not in the way that Switzerland or Belgium are. But as many chocolate experts will agree, Madagascar is a high quality cocoa producing nation boasting two major bean-to-bar chocolate factories, making especially delicious dark chocolate from natural and organic cocoa grown in the [[Ambanja]] region, the northwest of the country.'''
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Madagascar has in fact a long history of chocolate production, dating back to the early years of the French colonial times, 1937 to be precise. In those days, Madagascar was a major cocoa exporter to a metropolitan France. Today Madagascar's cocoa production is tiny in comparison to the Ivory Coast for example which produce about 38% of the world's cocoa, while almost all cocoa grown in Madagascar come from an area about 50-kilometre in radius and represent less than 1% of the world's cocoa production. The plantations can be found within the Ambanja disctrict in an area called [[Sambirano]], named after a river by the same name which runs from the foothills of Madagascar's highest peak and into the Indian Ocean. The Sambirano riverbed and its surrounding cocoa plantations are enriched with nutrients of the soil through annual floods. Unlike cocoa producing regions in many other countries, the area around Sambirano is unique in that it yields cocoa all year round. There are plenty of Criollo - the best quality cocoa, Forastero - the most common variety used for bulk cocoa, and Trinitario - a cross between the former two.
[[File:Cinagra 070.jpg|thumb|600px|none|Crushed Malagasy cocoa with splinters of cocoa nibs ready for processinginto liquid chocolate]]
Most if not all cocoa plantations in Madagascar are operated by small independently run family farming businesses, who have been growing cocoa without use of fertilisers and other mass farming methods in ther natural environment for generations. While slave labour is commonly reported in the cocoa industry, especially in the Ivory Coast, it is non-existent in Madagascar. Much of Sambirano's cocoa grow on former fruit plantations from the French colonial period. The resulting cocoa has strong hints of fruit flavour and is naturally sweet, which makes it especially suitable for producing non-bitter dark chocolates without use of excessive sugar content or other additives. Furthermore, the final chocolate product is usually one that is rich in antioxidant flavoinoids, the healthy and reputedly aphrodisiac ingredients that can be found in high proportions in pure Malagasy cocoa. <!--(phenylethylamine??)-->