We had lunch at Belmont/Bellamont ranch (I can't remember the name correctly now), where they also had cocoa and nutmegs. Well there weren't that many nutmegs at the time as they are still recovering from the Hurricane Ivan. All the food they served was grown in the ranch (well maybe not the fish) organically. All the cocos were also grown organically.
The lunch was buffet type and the whole thing from starters to dessert cost 45 EC (per person). So not a pricy place at all. After we had eaten we took a tour over the cocoa factory/thingy. We learned that there are different kinds of cocoa fruit pods, and in the island there are two kinds. To cut them down from the trees was mens job, and women's job was to collect all the colorful pods to piles. Then men with they sharp knives would come and crack the pods open and women would take all the beans out.
It would then take quite a while before the cocoa beans would be ready to become choclate. The beans would be naturally heated (they would heat themselves) and drying in the sun (and people would walk through the cocoa beans so they wouldn't get stuck together). Then they would be polished (in old days and sometimes even now this would be done by feet).
After they have been polished the cocoa beans would be sent to the choclate manufacturer all over the world. :) The best beans would be sent out and not so good beans would be used in local market. We also tasted cocoa-tea (not hot choclate per say) which had spices in it. It tasted pretty good even though I had the thought of someones feet being in there...
Next stop was at a rum factory. :) It is probably the only working rum factory in the island. There are few factories that bottle the rum, but since Ivan this one is the only one that makes it. The factory hadn't changed much or at all since it was first build. It was very rough looking, and I am 100% sure that this kind of a factory environment wouldn't be allowed in Finland. Or anywhere else...
Our guide took us around the place and told about how the rum is made. The process is very similar (or actually it is the same) as making illeagal booz (pontikka). The sugar cane juice is first heated up (to come more sweet = loose water), then fermentation process begins. It is done without anything added to it, so no yeast needed. When the juice stops moving, it is ready for the next step. Next step is pot still process. This is when the juice becomes rum.
The process is done as many times is needed to get at least 70 proof rum. Then it is stored, so the tax people can measure it and tax is paid at this point. Then the rum is bottled and mixed. They make three types of rum in this factory, 70, 33 and rum punch (23).
This was our last stop and we headed home. Of course we were still quit north, so we had some driving to do (well Pete drove so we just sat in the car). The east side roads were not in as good condition as the west sides, but in better shape than the road to our appartment. It took us the whole day to go around, and now it is done.
No comments:
Post a Comment