The cacao fruit surrounds the cacao bean in the pod – nature’s bubblewrap. It often used to be discarded after the bean had been harvested, but now, like so many byproducts, people are starting to think, ‘What can we do with that?’ And what can be done with it is it can be made into juice or purée and from there into various other products (including jam).
A few years ago, cacao pulp juice became more available in the UK (you can buy it – Pacha de Cacao – from Cocoa Runners from £9.95 for two, although currently there’s a waiting list). The pulp has a tangy taste, described as being like lychee, pineapple or mango.
