Outline of chocolate

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.[1] The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to improve the flavor. 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 flavorings and colorants are added. Candies come in numerous colors 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?
Chocolate is created from the cacao bean. A cacao tree with fruit pods in various stages of ripening

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 – A mixture of many substances remaining after cocoa butter is extracted from cacao beans
Substances found in cacao
Source of the cocao bean
  • Theobroma cacao, also known as Cacao tree – A species of tree grown for its cocoa beans
    • Forastero – 80% made with this tree group
    • 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
  • Côte d'Ivoire – Country in West Africa
  • Child labour in cocoa production – The controversial use of children in the production of cacao beans

Optional ingredients
  • Lecithin – A generic term for amphiphilic substances of plant and animal origin
  • Vanilla – A spice extracted from orchids of the genus Vanilla
  • Sugar – Generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates
  • Milk – white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals
  • Caramel – Confectionery product made by heating sugars
  • Peanuts – A legume cultivated for its seeds

Ingredients of white chocolate
  • White chocolate – Confection made with cocoa butter that does not contain cocoa solids

Types

Types of chocolate – A range of foods derived from cocoa

  • Unsweetened chocolate – pure chocolate liquor mixed with fat to produce a solid substance; also known as "bitter," "baking chocolate" and "cooking chocolate"[6]
  • Dark chocolate – Chocolate with high cocoa solids content
  • Milk chocolate – Solid chocolate containing added milk
  • Semisweet chocolate – Term for dark chocolate used in the United States to indicate the amount of added sugar
  • Bittersweet chocolate – Term for dark chocolate used in the United States to indicate the amount of added sugar
  • Couverture – High-quality chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter than baking or eating chocolate
  • White chocolate – Confection made with cocoa butter that does not contain cocoa solids
  • Cocoa powder
  • Compound chocolate – A product made from a combination of cocoa, vegetable fat and sweeteners
  • Dutch process chocolate – Chocolate that has been treated with an alkalizing agent
  • Scho-Ka-Kola – a chocolate brand containing coffee and cola nut[7]

Production methods

Producers and trade organizations

Brands

Edibles
  • Chocolate pudding – A class of desserts with chocolate flavours
  • Chocolate syrup – A chocolate-flavored condiment used as a topping or ingredient
  • Chocolate cake – A baked cake flavored with chocolate
    • Chocolate layer cake – A cake made from stacked layers of cake held together by filling
    • Chocolate soufflé cake – A baked egg-based dish using beaten egg whites to give an aerated texture
    • Devil's food cake – A moist, airy, rich chocolate layer cake
    • Ding Dong – A small chocolate cake similar in shape and size to a hockey puck
    • Flourless chocolate cake – A dense cake made from an aerated chocolate custard
    • Fudge cake – A chocolate cake containing fudge
    • Garash cake – A Bulgarian chocolate and walnut cake of 5 thin layers with a chocolate frosting
    • German chocolate cake – A layer cake with chocolate and a coconut-pecan frosting
    • Joffre cake – A chocolate buttermilk layer cake filled with chocolate ganache and frosted with chocolate buttercream
    • Molten chocolate cake – A dessert that combines the elements of a flourless chocolate cake and a soufflé
    • Red velvet cake – Reddish coloured chocolate cake with cream cheese icing
    • Sachertorte – A chocolate cake invented by Franz Sacher
    • Wacky cake – a spongy, cocoa-based cake which does not use eggs, butter or milk
  • Cookie – small, flat and sweetened baked food (biscuit)
  • Chocolate spread – A sweet chocolate-flavored paste which is eaten mostly spread on breads and similar grain products
  • Confectionery – Prepared foods made with a large amount of sugar or other carbohydrates
    • Chocolate truffle – A type of chocolate confectionery, traditionally made with a chocolate ganache centre coated in chocolate
    • Chocolate crackles – A popular children's confection in Australia and New Zealand based on puffed rice
    • Choco pie – A snack cake with chocolate coating
    • Rum ball – A truffle-like confection of cookie butter flavored with chocolate and rum
  • Chocolates –
    • Swiss chocolate – Chocolate processed in Switzerland
    • Mint chocolate – Flavored chocolate, made by adding a mint flavoring
    • Chocolate money – Gold foil covered chocolates in the shape of coins
  • Dessert – course that concludes a meal; usually sweet
    • Molten chocolate cake – A dessert that combines the elements of a flourless chocolate cake and a soufflé
    • Chocolate salami – Dessert made from cocoa, broken biscuits, butter, eggs and a bit of port wine or rum
  • Ice cream – A frozen dessert
    • Mint Chocolate Chip – a confection that features sugar as a principal ingredien
    • Chocolate Chip – Small chunk of chocolate used as an ingredient
  • Candy – Sweet confection
  • Cereals
  • Brand names:

Drinks
A mug of hot chocolate. Chocolate was first drunk rather than eaten.[6]
  • Cafe mocha – A chocolate-flavored variant of a caffè latte
  • Chocolate milk – Sweetened chocolate-flavored milk
    • Swiss Miss – A name brand for cocoa powder and pudding products
    • Nesquik – brand of products made by Nestlé
    • Banania – A chocolate drink found most widely distributed in France
    • Yoo-hoo – American brand of chocolate beverage
  • Crème de cacao – A sweet liqueur that tastes like chocolate.
  • Hot chocolate – Heated beverage of chocolate in milk or water
  • Mexican hot chocolate
  • List of chocolate beverages – A list of notable beverages flavoured with chocolate

History

Effects on health

Health effects of chocolate – The possible positive and negative effects on health of eating chocolate

  • United States military chocolate
  • Couverture chocolate – High-quality chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter than baking or eating chocolate
  • Chocolataire – A type of social gathering in which all food and drink are composed of or contain some form of chocolate
  • Chocolate fountain – A device for serving chocolate fondue
  • Compound chocolate – A product made from a combination of cocoa, vegetable fat and sweeteners
  • Chocolate agar – named for its color, does not contain cocoa
  • Chocolate spread – A sweet chocolate-flavored paste which is eaten mostly spread on breads and similar grain products
  • Modeling chocolate – A chocolate paste used for decoration

References
  1. "Theobroma cacao". Hort.purdue.edu. 1998-01-09. Retrieved April 2013. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. Yang HY, Neff NH (November 1973). "Beta-phenylethylamine: a specific substrate for type B monoamine oxidase of brain". Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 187 (2): 365–71. ISSN 0022-3565. PMID 4748552.
  3. Suzuki O, Katsumata Y, Oya M (March 1981). "Oxidation of beta-phenylethylamine by both types of monoamine oxidase: examination of enzymes in brain and liver mitochondria of eight species". Journal of Neurochemistry. 36 (3): 1298–301. doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.1981.tb01734.x. ISSN 0022-3042. PMID 7205271.
  4. William Marias Malisoff (1943). Dictionary of Bio-Chemistry and Related Subjects. Philosophical Library. pp. 311, 530, 573. ASIN B0006AQ0NU.
  5. Bennett, Alan Weinberg; Bonnie K. Bealer (2002). The World of Caffeine: The Science and Culture of the World's Most Popular Drug. Routledge, New York. ISBN 0-415-92723-4.
  6. Archived March 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  7. "Sarotti SCHO-KA-KOLA 100g (High Caffein Dark Chocolate 3.5oz)". Germandeli.com. Retrieved April 2013. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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