Cocoaroma Ponto Com

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In search of

a r r I B aecuador’s arrIBa cacao—also known as cacao nacional—has long beenprized for its earthy but floral aroma and flavor. Although officially of the

forastero variety, the Arriba’s unique qualities put it in a class all its own.

In order to understand the nature of Arriba cacao, its origins must be

explored. Yet it is important to remember, as with other varieties of ca cao,that there are an infinite number of combinations and types of Arriba.

Therefore, while the government of Ecuador classifies Arriba into threegeneral categories:—Arriba Superior Summer Selected (ASSS), Arriba Supe-rior Selected (ASS), and Arriba Superior Epoca (ASE)—the specific geneticmake-up of the Arriba, how it is cultivated, and how it is harvested are what

ultimately determine its quality and characteristics. This is why a selectnumber of chocolate makers are now working directly with Ecuadoriancacao farmers to together better capture the true essence of Arriba.

The following photo essay is but an introduction to Arriba. For the truechocolate connoisseur, C. Reginald Enock’s scintillating first-person account

of his travels in Ecuador (Ecuador. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1914) offers a

more intimate portrait of the country’s cacao history.

Ecuador , 1882, BlackiE & S on , G laSGow. A map of Ecuador at the beginning of thecountry’s cacao boom. Just east of the city of Guayaquil is the Rio Guayas, which if followed north, leads into Los Rios Province, one of Ecuador’s great cacao-producingregions. Farther east is the Rio Napo, a tributary of the Amazon River. It is in thisriver valley that Theobroma cacao is thought to have originated.

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Gyql

Between 1880 and 1920, Ecuador’s Guayas River Valley was one of themost productive cacao-growing regions in the world. Although not

the native habitat of Theobroma cacao, Guayas—with its fertile soil,hot and wet climate, well-protected port, and network of navigablerivers—provided an ideal setting for the cultivation of a global,

cacao-based economy. It is therefore not surprising that in the spanof these four decades, Guayas’s capital, Guayaquil, became one of thewealthiest cities in South America. (Pineo, Chapter 2)

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Guayaquil today. (Opposite page, clockwise from top left ) Downtown Guaya-quil with the Rio Guayas in the background; street 10 de Agosto; the old colo-nial homes of the Las Peñas district at the foot of Cerro Santa Ana. Guayaquil

at duSk. (This p age, from l eft) Iglesias de San Francisco, one of Guayaquil’s oldestchurches, first built in the 1600s by Franciscan monks; the Columna de los Próceresde la Independencia, built in honor of Ecuador’s declaration of independence onOctober 9th, 1820.

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T Bboyo

The Rio Babahoyo, at one time also known as the Rio Bodegas, isone of the main arteries of the Guayas River Valley. Along with thetributaries Caracol, San Pablo, Pueblo Viejo, Palenque, Quevado,

Vinces and others, the Babahoyo is what originally gave the cacao of the region its name: Arriba, or cacao from “up” river.

The land along the riverbanks was typically reserved for growing

Arriba cacao. Bancos, as these naturally occurring riverbanks are stillcalled today, consist of some of the most fertile soil in the world. Al-

though quite sandy, the soil is effective at capturing the considerablemoisture needed for supporting productive cacao trees.

“This district produce[s] the Cacao de Arriba, which is superior inquality, and fetches a higher price in the market, than the Cacao de Abajo of Machala and Naranjal, on the coast below Guayaquil.”

— C.R. Enock, Ecuador (p. 129)

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Vns, Los Ros Provn

The province of Los Rios has been known to produce some of Ecuador’s most flavorful cacao due to an

ideal combination of certain soils, rainfal l, and climate. In 1900, close to 50 percent of all cacao pro-duced in Ecuador was grown in Los Rios. Just 20 years later, at the peak of the country’s cacao boom,the province produced 70 percent of Ecuador’s cacao.

The town and parish of Vinces in Los Rios is said to be named after an 18th century priest who owneda small hacienda in the area. (In Ecuador, provinces were divided into cantons, which in turn were

divided into parishes.) Records show that at the turn of the last century, there were some 5.9 millioncacao trees in the Vinces parish alone, making it the richest in all of the country. The town was latergiven the nickname “Little Paris” because its wealthy cacao plantation owners often travelled to France

for business and pleasure, and also sent their children there for study. (Pineo, Chapter 2)

“Vinces is the chief town of the canton, situated about nine miles to the south of Palenque, on the

eastern bank of the river. It presents an extremely picturesque appearance with its background of darkcocoa plantations and the slender stems of its coco-palms.” — C.R. Enock, Ecuador (p. 131)

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Wndow nto t Pst

Ana María, Clementina, Curiquingue, Corozal, Ventanillas—these were the namesof some of the many large cacao plantation estates ( haciendas) that dotted the

landscape of Ecuador’s Los Rios Province at the turn of the last century. Ownedby families of Aspiazu, Seminario, and Clemente-Ballen, and others, a single

hacienda easily spanned more than 70,000 acres. It was also not uncommon forfamilies to own several such estates. As one visitor to the area noted in his jour-nal at the time, surveying the Seminario family’s more than two million cacaotrees took an entire day’s journey by boat along the Rio Caracol.

an aftErnoon in vincES. (Opposite page) Two women on a park bench;the town’s seal, reflecting the region’s agricultural roots. ovErlookinG

thE r io vincES . (This p age) A former plantation owner’s wooden man-sion in central Vinces.

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RecchiuTi

edor 65%Made with E. Guittard Ecuador Nacional 65%, the aromaof Recchiuti’s Ecuador shares the same earthy and floral

character as its couverture. The flavor release, however,is more complex, even elegant. The ganache allows fora more complete experience in the mouth, capturing the

subtle herbal overtones of the cacao more effectively.

In addition to the Ecuador varietal box, Recchiuti offers

chocolates made wi th cacao from Venezuela, Colombia, anda blend of Central and South American origins. Startedin San Francisco, California in 1997 by Jacky and Michael

Recchiuti, Recchiuti Confections also makes chocolatedipped fruits, chocolate bars, and chocolate sauces.

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RichaRT

eqtr 82%Richart’s Equateur 82% has an earthy aroma that is broaderand deeper than typical Ecuador origin chocolates. The

flavor conjures up images of a fresh, wet meadow and young forest flowers. There are hints of black currant andorange citrus. The chocolate is very smooth, very clean,

and has a gradual flavor release.

Michel Richart’s chocolates are known for both their beau-

tiful designs and extensive selection of flavors. By classify-ing his chocolates into distinct flavor categories—such asbalsamic, roasted, fruity, citrus, herbal, and floral—Richart

is expanding connoisseurs’s understanding of what makesdifferent chocolates unique.

Richart was started by Michel’s father, Joseph Richart in theCroix Rousse district of Lyon, France in 1925. Today thecompany has boutiques in Lyon, Strasbourg, San Francisco,

New York, Boston, Tokyo, and Seoul. ❍

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