Of the dozens of varieties resulting from the mixture of Criollo and foreign cocoa, in many plantations in this region they boast of harvesting very creole pods, with a fine aroma.
The wars and diseases that for centuries plagued the cocoa plantations throughout the Venezuelan coast, was what gave rise to an intentional hybridization of the Creole cocoa, which was the one that had been cultivated since the end of the XNUMXth century, with the outsider, a type more resistant and productive, coming from the Amazon and the Orinoco.
Thus, the mixture of Creole, originating in Sur del Lago, which is characterized by its elongated and pointed fruits, and by its high quality seed; and the forastero, rounded and almost smooth, and with a high astringent flavor, originated the trinitario cacao, a purple pod and large, slightly astringent seeds.
This mixture allowed, over the years, to repopulate the Barlovento area, Miranda state, with cocoa that is more resistant to disease and more productive than the Creole.
And although its flavor has deteriorated compared to the Creole, new hybridizations, some natural and others intentional, have originated seeds that are very similar in aroma and flavor to the Creole.
The Creole Trinitarians of Barlovento
Of the dozens of varieties resulting from the mixture of Criollo and Forastero cocoa, many farms in Barlovento, such as La Ribereña, in El Guapo, boast of harvesting delicious pods very similar to criolladas, which are processed by the Cacao Lanaseso production unit for the manufacture of confectionery products.
Chocolates El Rey, a Venezuelan chocolatier with almost a century of tradition in the country, also works with cocoa trinitarian from the Barlovento area to produce confectionery and gourmet products for local consumption and export.
This national chocolate factory has a store of pastry tablets and a collection premium made with Carenero Superior, a variety of the Trinitarian type that is grown in Barlovento.
As for chocolate houses from other countries, Cocoa Barry, the French brand of high-end confectionery products, has in its Origin Dark Chocolate Coverage line one made with Carenero Superior, a Trinitarian variety of cocoa from Barlovento.
While the French chocolatier Pralus, has in its Origen collection a Venezuelan tablet made with pure Trinitarian cocoa from Barlovento.
