"Cacao" vs "Cocoa"
The Difference Between “cacao” and “cocoa”
Linguistically
Coe & Coe in the True History of Chocolate offer some accounts of where “cacao” and “chocolate” came from linguistically. You can read for yourself, but long story short, the word “cacao” we use today was likely derived from either the Maya and/or the Aztecs. The Spanish adopted the word “cacao” from the phonetically spoken “kakawa” from the Maya they encountered in the 16th Century. Cortés used the word “cacao” to refer to chocolate (which was a drink at the time). We have written evidence of “kakaw” in the Dresden Codex, a book by the Maya, which dates to 11th or 12th Century AD. The Madrid Codex dated much later also mentions “kakaw” These documents also reinforce how important cacao and chocolate was to the Maya and Aztecs at a cultural and spiritual level. The Aztecs referred to cacao as “cacahuatl” (with the “tl” sounding like “tay” in English) in the Nahuatl language. The Maya and the Aztecs both existed at the time when the Spanish arrived in the 16th Century.
The seeds on the left are referred to as “cocoa beans” or “cacao beans”. The spelling of the first word does not define what the product is or imply any quality or attribute about the seed. The chocolate on the right may have on the wrapper “cacao beans” or “cocoa beans” on the list of ingredients, and it would suggest the same thing. “cacao beans” are not more natural, pure, or of higher quality than “cocoa” beans. The difference is in spelling only. Image by Bean To Bar World.
Therefore, the word Spanish and other Europeans used for referring to the cocoa beans, or even chocolate, was “cacao”. It is believed to be the English who “corrupted” the word into “cocoa” (either by accident or on purpose, we can’t say for sure). Over decades and centuries, the English and English speaking countries such as the USA adopted the use of “Cocoa” while other countries used “cacao” or “cocoa” depending on their influence. As English became a more universal language, we see both “cocoa” and “cacao” used interchangeably. There is no evidence to suggest that derivatives for both “cacao” and “cocoa” existed in Mesoamerica. These appear to be a European invention.
Today, either word “cocoa” or “cacao” is used to reflect the products of the cacao tree such as the pod (where the fruit and seeds grow), the pulp, the seeds (which we refer to as “beans”), the powder, the fat (cocoa butter), and so on. In the USA, the term “cocoa” has also become synonymous with a ready-made powdered mix that contains cocoa powder along with sugar, milk powder, and other ingredients to be used to make a hot chocolate quickly and efficiently. So in this case, “hot cocoa” or simply “cocoa” in the USA can refer specifically to this type of product. However, as mentioned, the word “cocoa” is used to describe many parts of the tree and products from the tree.
Linguistically, “cocoa” is a misspelling of “cacao” likely by the English hundreds of years ago, and until more recently was used interchangeably with “cacao”. Today, there are some who wish to apply a new meaning the two words.
Industrially
Some try to define “cacao” as before human involvement, and “cocoa” as products from the tree after humans have altered it in some way. This is a fairly new definition, and not one that was used by Mesoamericans where cacao and chocolate was discovered by Europeans.
In more recent history, some of those within the chocolate industry have attempted to re-define the words “cacao” and “cocoa”. The definition is explained as follows. The scientific word for the tree that produces the seeds we use to make chocolate was coined Theobroma cacao (Genus, species). Many wish to have “cacao” used to define the tree and it’s constituents before human influence. For example, a cacao tree, grows cacao pods, which develop from cacao flowers. On the other hand “cocoa” is expressed to define products from the tree after they have been “influenced” by humans (although the definition of “influenced” is not clearly defined). For example, after harvesting the pods, one would ferment the cocoa beans, dry and roast the cocoa beans, and then winnow the cocoa beans.
There is some logic behind this, although the truth is that it is rarely used in this way. Even within the industry itself (from chocolate makers, scientists, and those working in the tertiary portion of the industry) the two terms are used interchangeably. There is little consistency with the use of these words in this manner, which only adds to the confusion. Whether you’re reading a published book, a peer reviewed article, or a chocolate bar wrapper, you will not come across much consistency on how “cocoa” and “cacao” are used.
Many people within the craft chocolate movement publicly define the words in this way, which only adds confusion to laymen and the general consumer base. It encourages consumers to define “cacao” and “cocoa” in this way when shopping for products, but this is now how the terms are used in most cases.
In Marketing
Let’s say you go into a high end grocery store and see organic fair-trade “cacao” powder. Is this different than the Fry’s “cocoa” powder from your local big box grocery store? No, not really. There are different types of cocoa powder these days on the market such as raw vs traditional (raw being made from cocoa that was not roasted or roasted much), as well as alkalized and non-alkalized cocoa powder. Neither of these types alter calling the product “cocoa powder” versus “cacao powder”. There is no legal obligation, there is no industry obligation. The same goes for cocoa/cacao nibs, cocoa/cacao liquor, cocoa/cacao mass, cocoa/cacao butter, and so on. Even when reading the ingredients on the back of a fine craft chocolate bar, the ingredient may sometimes read “cocoa beans” and sometimes “cacao beans”. The only difference is that for some reason those printing the label chose one spelling over the other.
It would be unwise for you as a consumer to assume a difference in the product due to the spelling of “cacao” vs “cocoa”. There may be chocolate that is made with raw beans vs roasted beans. There may be powder that is alkalized vs non-alkalized. There may be butter (the fat from the bean) that is deodorized or non-deodorized. There may be chocolate bars made with fine cacao versus bulk cacao. There may be chocolate made with a very smooth European texture vs a rough South American texture. Absolutely none of these have anything to do with whether the word “cacao” or “cocoa” can be used.
There may indeed be a brand of raw non-alkalized cacao powder, and one may think that because the term “cacao” is used that it is somehow more natural, more pure, or higher quality. The powder itself may very well be a very high quality, but the use of the term “cacao” does not reflect that.
Conclusion
Regardless of how some people wish to spell “cacao” or “cocoa”, it would be wise as a consumer when reading books or labels on products to assume they mean the same thing, since for the most part, these words are used interchangeably across the chocolate industry as well as other sectors including academia and commerce.