Chocolate

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Chocolate (pronounced /ˈtʃɔklɪt/ (help·info); see below for etymology) comprises a number of raw and processed foods that originate from the bean of the the tropical cacao tree. It is a common ingredient in many kinds of sweets, chocolate candy, ice creams, cookies, cakes, pies, and desserts. It is one of the most popular flavors in the world.

Chocolate was discovered by early Mesoamerican civilization and cultivated by ancient Mayans and Aztecs, who used it as a basic component in a variety of sauces and beverages. The cocoa beans were grounded and mixed with water to produce a bitter beberage which was reserved only to the highest noblemen and clerics of the mesoamerican world. The word \"chocolate\" comes from the Nahuatl words Xocol meaning \"bitter\" nad Atl meaning \"water\". Chocolate is made from the fermented, roasted, and ground beans taken from the pod of the tropical cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, which was native to Central America and Mexico, but is now cultivated throughout the tropics. The beans have an intensely flavored bitter taste. The resulting products are known as \"chocolate\" or, in some parts of the world, cocoa. Theobroma is Greek for \"food of the gods\".

It is the solid and fat combination, sweetened with sugar and other ingredients, that is made into chocolate bars and which is commonly referred to as chocolate by the public. It can also be made into beverages (called cocoa and hot chocolate). The first chocolate beverages were made by the Aztecs and the Mayas and later the Europeans. Chocolate is often produced as small molded forms in the shape of animals, people, or inanimate objects to celebrate festivals worldwide. For example, moulds of rabbits or eggs for Easter, coins for Hanukkah, Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) for Christmas, and hearts for Valentine's Day.

Types and definition

Chocolate is an extremely popular ingredient and it is available in many types. Different forms and flavors of chocolate are produced by varying the quantities of the different ingredients. Other flavors can be obtained by varying the time and temperature when roasting the beans.

Chocolate is any product based 99% on cocoa solid and/or cocoa fat. Because it is used in a vast number of other foods, any change in the cost of making it has a huge impact on the industry. Adding ingredients is an aspect of the taste. On the other hand, reducing cocoa solid content, or substituting cocoa fat with a non-cocoa one, reduces the cost of making it. There has been disagreement in the EU about the definition of chocolate.

Read more at Wikipedia.org