Chocolate museum in Granada, Nicaragua

How to make chocolate at Chocomuseo:

First, you pick the cacao from the tree. The color must be yellow to be ripe. Next, you have to ferment the pod and pulp. The pulp is where the flavor is. Then you have to dry the seeds. You know if it is ready or not by the sound it makes when you shake it. You also know it is ready by the color of the seed. The inside should be brown. Then you have to roast the seeds. You roast the seeds on top of fire. When they are ready you will hear a popping sound like popcorn. Then you have to peel the seeds. You either smash the seeds with your hand or peel them fast because the seeds are really hot. After that, you have to grind the seeds. The Mayan used a stone pestle and mortar. It takes hard work to make paste. Last, you put seven cups of paste and seven cups of sugar to make sweet chocolate. You have to spin it for fifteen hours. That is how you make chocolate.  – Riley

Roasting:

Peeling:

Grinding:

Mixing:

Finished Product:

An amazing day in Granada, Nicaragua

Let me tell you about my amazing day in Granada, Nicaragua. We went to a restaurant where everyone was deaf for breakfast (Café de las Sonrisas). We ordered by pointing out on the menu what we wanted to eat and drink because we did not speak sign language. I had a chocolate pancake. It was powdered sugar on top of chocolate on top of chocolate on top of butter on a pancake. At the restaurant, they also had bunnies. I got to pet the bunnies.

The best part comes next. We hopped on a horse drawn carriage. We saw that buildings that were built in the 1600’s – 1700’s. The horse names are Brown and Jack. I got to sit up front and steer Brown and Jack!

The driver’s friend had a boat. He took us to the monkey island. In the lake they had leeches and bull sharks in the lake water. On monkey island I got to feed 2 monkeys name Lola and I can’t remember the name of the other one.

Later that night we saw a live volcano. It was so amazing!

It was a great day in Granada!