Chocolate Glossary
Cacao: is the plant and all of its products, before processing. Cacao refers to the unprocessed seed of the cacao tree, although some industry members use the term "cocoa" to refer to the plants and its seeds.
Chocolate: is the product of the seeds of the cacao plant after processing, whether liquid or solid.
Chocolate Liquor: despite its name - doesn't contain any alcohol. It's actually just simple, unsweetened baking chocolate made from ground up nibs (the meat) of the cacao seed. Chocolate liquor is actually about half cocoa butter and half cocoa solids.
Cocoa Butter: is the vegetable fat contained in the cacao seed. Chocolate liquor is pressed to squeeze out the cocoa butter. Cocoa butter is solid at room temperature but melts easily in your mouth or at room temperature.
Cocoa Powder: is the defatted powder made from cacao. It's the solid portion that remains after the cocoa butter has been pressed out of the chocolate liquor. Cocoa powder is categorized by the amount of cocoa butter that remains after pressing. Retail cocoa products can range from 10% to 24% fat, depending on whether they're beverage, breakfast, or cooking cocoa.
Chocolate Varietes
Baking Chocolate: is a solid chocolate made from pure chocolate liquor, no sugar or milk added.
"Dutched" or Dutch Chocolate: is made from chocolate liquor or cocoa powder that has been treated with alkaline salts to give it a darker color and milder flavor. The process - which came to be known as "Dutching" - was invented in Holland by the chemist Coenraad Van Houten.
Milk Chocolate: is a mixture of chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and flavorings. All milk chocolate made in the United States must contain at least 10% chocolate liquor and 12% whole milk.
Sweet Dark Chocolate: contains 15% to 35% chocolate liquor and less than 12% whole milk solids. It may also contain ingredients like condensed milk, cocoa butter, sugar, and vanilla.
Semi-Sweet or Bittersweet Chocolate: is the darkest eating chocolate and has at least 35% chocolate liquor, in addition to sugar and cocoa butter.
White Chocolate: is a blend of cocoa butter, milk, sugar, and flavorings. It contains no cocoa solids, and many people don't consider it chocolate at all! According to U.S. Standards of Identity, in order to be called chocolate, it must contain chocolate liquor (but then it wouldn't be white.)
Chocolate Flavored Chips and Coatings: are compounded from cocoa powder and vegetable fats other than cocoa butter. They don't require tempering and are less expensive than chocolate made with cocoa butter.
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The cacao plant ready to be harvested.
The various forms cacao takes in the process of becoming solid chocolate.
Milk chocolate in its metled or liquid state.
Solid white, dark, and milk chocolate pieces.
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