The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to chocolate:
What is chocolate?
Chocolate – raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to improve the flavour. Chocolate is a popular ingredient in confectionery items and candies.
What type of thing is chocolate?
Chocolate is a type of:
Food – substance to provide nutritional support for the body, ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, and/or stimulate growth.
Confectionery – the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well.
Candy – confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavourings and colourants are added. Candies come in numerous colours and varieties and have a long history in popular culture.
Ingredient – substance that forms part of a mixture (in a general sense). For example, in cooking, recipes specify which ingredients are used to prepare a specific dish. Chocolate is often used as an ingredient in dessert items, such as cakes and cookies.
What is chocolate made of?
Necessary ingredients
Cacao bean – Fatty seed of Theobroma cacao which is the basis of chocolate
Chocolate liquor, also known as chocolate mass – Pure cocoa mass in solid or semi-solid form
Cocoa butter – Pale-yellow, edible fat extracted from the cocoa bean
Cocoa solids – Mixture remaining after cocoa butter is extracted from cocoa beans
Substances found in cacao
Antioxidants – Compound that inhibits the oxidation of other molecules
Catechin – Type of natural phenol as a plant secondary metabolite
Flavonols – Class of plant and fungus secondary metabolites
Caffeine – Central nervous system stimulant
Phenethylamine – psychoactive drug that is usually inactive when orally ingested because most of it is metabolized into phenylacetic acid by monoamine oxidase (MAO), preventing significant concentrations from reaching the brain
Theobromine – also known as xantheose, it contains no bromine and has a similar, but lesser, effect to caffeine
Theophylline – methylxanthine drug found in tea leaves
Source of the cocoa bean
Child labour in cocoa production – Controversial use of children in the production of cacao beans
Côte d'Ivoire – Country in West Africa
Cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire – Côte d'Ivoire leads the world in production and export of cocoa
Theobroma cacao, also known as Cacao tree – Species of tree grown for its cocoa beans
Criollo cacao tree variety – A high quality but less productive variety of cacao tree
Cacao bean – Fatty seed of Theobroma cacao which is the basis of chocolate
Forastero – 80% made with this tree group
Optional ingredients
Caramel – Confectionery product made by heating sugars
Lecithin – Generic term for amphiphilic substances of plant and animal origin
Milk – White liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals
Peanuts – Legume cultivated as a grain and oil crop
Scho-Ka-Kola – German chocolate brand containing coffee and kola nut – a chocolate brand containing coffee and cola nut
Semisweet chocolate – Term for dark chocolate used in the United States to indicate the amount of added sugar
Unsweetened chocolate – pure chocolate liquor mixed with fat to produce a solid substance; also known as "bitter", "baking chocolate" and "cooking chocolate"
White chocolate – Confectionery made from milk solids without cocoa solids
Production methods
Broma process – Method of extracting cocoa butter from cocoa beans
Dutch process cocoa – Cocoa that has been treated with an alkalizing agent
Federal Specification for Candy and Chocolate Confections – US standard for products made for use by the federal government
Producers and trade organizations
Chocolaterie – Company that manufactures chocolates and sells them directly
Chocolatier – Someone who makes confectionery from chocolate
Cocoa Processing Company Limited – Ghanaian cocoa processing company – a Ghanaian cocoa processing company
International Cocoa Initiative – Nonprofit organization
Kuapa Kokoo – Fairtrade-certified cocoa farmers organisation in Ghana – a Ghanaian farmers' cooperative organisation
List of bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers – Companies which produce chocolate from the beans
Brands
List of chocolate bar brands – Alphabetical listing of brand names and marketing regions
Edibles
Brand names:
Death by Chocolate – Various desserts that feature chocolate
Candy – Sweet confection
Chocolate bar – ConfectionPages displaying short descriptions with no spaces
Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats – Marshmallow, usually on a wafer base, coated in chocolate
Chocolate-coated peanut – Peanuts coated in a shell of chocolate.
Chocolate-coated raisin – Raisins coated in a shell of milk, dark or white chocolate.