Criollo (Courtesy of Amano Artsian Chocolate)
For what seems like years now, I’ve been writing about the three types of cacao that grows in the world – the Forastero, Criollo and the Trinitario. Today I was surprised to learn there is a fourth type of cacao – the Nacional (also known as Arriba Nacional). I didn’t learn much about it except that it has origins in Ecuador. It is considered to be part of the Trinitario family with characteristics of the Criollo which make me think that some brilliant feat in nature crossed the Trinitario with the Criollo. The tree and the pods are considered to be like those of the Trinitario in beautiful
Trinitario (Photo Courtesy of Cocoa Puro)
shades of violet to purple and are in the small to medium range when it comes to size. No coincidence that the flavor is a range from subtle nuances to full-robust flavors juts like the Trinitario and Criollo. So from what I read, this version of the Theobroma cacao is still around, however it is lumped into the category of Trinitario most frequently. Isn’t it beautiful?
Nacional (Arriba nacional)
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