The Cacao World Wiki

I now have my own Wiki to organize and archive the majority of my research which includes charting a cacao map. A few days ago I thought, I ‘d like to create a map of the 20/20 zone. What is the 20/20 you might wonder? Well, the 20/20 is the zone 20 degrees north and 20 degrees south of the Equator where the Cacao tree can grow. What I know at this moment is, there are nine species of Cacao tree. My novel is about a group of people who love chocolate, so I begin with Theobroma Cacao which is the species that produces bean varietals used to make chocolate:

Forestero (most disease resistant, Cacao Nacional is of this variety), Criollo, (frequently devastated by disease), Royal Criollo (preferred by the Olmecs and Mayans, grown in Chiapas),  and Trinatario (crossbreed of Forestero and Criollo).

The map markers are categorized by cacao tree species and bean variety. Each marker contains information of interest or perhaps just a note that I’m researching, a check back later hint. Organizing my research using maps and wiki is another creative outlet and holds more interest than sitting at a desk strewn with papers and notebooks. On the blog, there’s a wiki banner on the sidebar. Remember: this is a work in progress, so be kind, leave a message and check back often. Thanks.

Related Links:

The Cacao World Wiki

Royal Criollo Cacao of Xoconusco

- Mayan small-scale growers Fair Trade cooperative, organic certified

Chocolate Begins with the Raw Cacao Bean

A history of chocolate from the Aztecs, Spain and France to modern day cultivation and production methods.

more about "Chocolate Begins with the Raw Cacao Bean", posted with vodpod

NaNoWriMo Day 8: In Quito, Ecuador

SOUNDTRACK: La Mas Completa Coleccion y 12 Grandes Exitos (Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitan) Beautiful Day (U2, Live From Slane Castle) and Kill Bill Volume II

Today’s word count: 1,204
Word Total: 4,046

I missed the 2,050 word goal by 846 words and according to the progress meter, I am doing exceptionally bad. Chris of NaNoWriMo posted this message on the 5th.

I spoke with the Great NaNoWriMo Calendar this morning, and she said we should be at about 8333 words by the end of the day today. She also told me that some of you ignored her suggestion to be at 6666 words yesterday, and that she may let you slide on that if you get to 8333 tonight.

I don’t know what may let you slide means. I’m not discouraged at all, in fact I’m pleased with how the plot has developed. I finished Chapter three. Yesterday I excerpted part of that chapter: the description of Trills chocolate pantry and Ruby dancing around the living room to Hole. The scene continues with Trill entering the room from the kitchen where he’s been preparing cioccolato caldo. They argue, settle down and begin to talk about Sweets Lady, who now has a name: Nesha. I searched on Nesah after I wrote it found out that it’s a real name, Russian in origin, and means pure. Nesha is Ruby’s mother. She mailed Ruby a postcard from Quito. She is there to learn more about Ecuadorian cacoa.

Chapter four is about Nesha in Ecuador. There are three new characters, two are cacoa experts. Nesha has already faced racism in Ecuador. This is appropriate for this story given that racism is a problem in Ecuador and many countries and something that people of color have to deal with.

Cocoa seeds in the fruit or pocha. Public Domain Image. Source: WikiCommons used with perimission from PD-USGOV-USDA-ARS