The Nacional is a rare variety of cocoa bean found in areas of South America such as Ecuador and Peru. The Ecuadorian cacao variety called Nacional traces its genetic lineage as far back as 3,500 years. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Nacional was considered by many European chocolatiers to be the most coveted source of cacao in the world because of its floral aroma and complex flavor profile. After an outbreak of disease in 1916 and

germplasm Germplasm refers to genetic resources such as seeds, tissues, and DNA sequences that are maintained for the purpose of animal and plant breeding, conservation efforts, agriculture, and other research uses. These resources may take the form of s ...

from foreign cacao varieties was subsequently introduced, some experts in the 21st century had formerly considered the Nacional bean to be

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

. Pure genotypes of the bean are rare because most Nacional varieties have been interbred with other cocoa bean varieties. The Nacional has often been described as a "good '' forastero''".

Description

Nacional is a rare variety of cocoa bean found in areas of South America such as Ecuador and Peru.

History

The Ecuadorian cacao variety called Nacional traces its genetic lineage as far back as 3,500 years, to the earliest-known cacao trees domesticated by humanity. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Nacional was considered by many European chocolatiers to be the most coveted source of cacao in the world because of its floral aroma and complex flavor profile. This was the golden era of Ecuadorian cacao, but it came to an abrupt end in 1916, when an outbreak of witches’ broom disease devastated the Nacional variety throughout the country. After the disease hit,

from foreign cacao varieties was subsequently introduced into the country starting in the 1930s, which resulted in the widespread hybridization of Ecuadorian cacao. By the beginning of the 21st century, most people believed that the pure Nacional genotype no longer existed. Pure genotypes of the bean are rare because most Nacional varieties have been interbred with other cocoa bean varieties. In 2009, Ecuador's agricultural research institute Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (INIAP) collected DNA samples from cacao trees throughout Ecuador, only 6 trees (out of 11,000 samples tested) were confirmed to be 100% genetically pure Nacional cacao. That is only 0.05% of the cacao trees that INIAP analyzed in their field research. In 2013, groves of 100-120 year old cocoa trees were discovered by To'ak Chocolate in the valley of Piedra de Plata located in the mountains of the Arriba cacao-growing region of

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

in the province of Manabi. With the help of the Heirloom Cacao Preservation fund (HCP), along with Freddy Amores, the director of INIAP, and Dr. Lyndel Meinhardt with the USDA-ARS, To'ak ran DNA tests on a small sample size of these trees. Of the sixteen old arbor trees tested, nine of them proved to be genetically pure Nacional variety. DNA analysis confirmed that the beans were comprised purely of the Nacional genotype bringing the number of DNA-verified pure Nacional trees in Ecuador to fifteen.

Description

History

See also

References

Further reading