Peruvian Nacional Cacao
The rarest chocolate in the world
Until the early 20th century, Nacional was widely grown in Ecuador and popular worldwide as a luxury chocolate. In 1901, rampant disease struck the Ecuadorian coca fields and the bean became extinct for over 100 years. That is until 2008, when the bean was rediscovered in a hidden mountain valley on the Marañón River in northern Peru. World-renowned chef and TV celebrity Anthony Bourdain uses Peruvian Nacional beans in his luxury chocolate bar called the Good & Evil.
The Peruvian Nacional cacao bean has a unique characteristic; some of the beans are white, a mutation that can occur when trees are left undisturbed for hundreds of years. The white beans produce an intense chocolate aroma and mellow richness that lacks the usual bitterness of cacao, making this bean a chocolatier’s dream.