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 consumed 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 – the primary ingredient which characterizes chocolate
  • Chocolate liquor or mass – ground or melted state of the nib of the cacao bean
  • Cocoa butter – the fat component
  • Cocoa solids, the nonfat part of the cacao bean which is ground into cocoa powder ^[2]

Substances found in cacao

• Antioxidants –
  • Flavonols –
  • Catechins –
• Caffeine – psychoactive stimulant drug found in coffee
• 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^[3][4]
• Theobromine – also known as xantheose,^[5] it contains no bromine ^[6] and has a similar, but lesser, effect to caffeine
• Theophylline – methylxanthine drug found in tea leaves

Source of the cocao bean

^[7]

• Cacao tree^[8] –
  • Forastero – 80% made with this tree group
  • Criollo – 10% made with this tree group
    • Cacao bean –
• Côte d'Ivoire –
  • Cocoa production in Côte d'Ivoire – accounts for 43% of cocoa
• Children in cocoa production –

Optional ingredients

• Lecithin –
• Vanilla –
• Sugar –
• Milk –
• Caramel-
• Peanuts

Ingredients of white chocolate

• White chocolate – Contains the same ingredients as chocolate but lack cocoa solids.^[9]

Types

Types of chocolate

• Unsweetened chocolate – pure chocolate liquor mixed with fat to produce a solid substance; also known as "bitter", "baking chocolate" and "cooking chocolate"^[10]
• Dark chocolate –
• Milk chocolate –
• Semisweet chocolate –
• Bittersweet chocolate –
• Couverture –
• White chocolate –
• Cocoa powder –
• Compound chocolate –
• Dutch process chocolate –
• Scho-Ka-Kola – a chocolate brand containing coffee and cola nut^[11]

Production methods

• Broma process –
• Dutch process chocolate –

Producers and trade organizations

• International Cocoa Initiative –
• Cocoa Processing Company Limited – a Ghanaian cocoa processing company
• Kuapa Kokoo – a Ghanaian farmers' cooperative organisation
• List of bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturers
• Chocolaterie
• Chocolatier

Brands

• List of chocolate bar brands

Comestibles

• Chocolate pudding –
• Chocolate syrup –
• Chocolate cake –
  • German chocolate cake –
  • Wacky cake –
  • Devil's food cake –
• Cookies – (see also: List of cookies)
  • Chocolate chip –
  • Chocolate biscuit –
  • Chocolate chip cookie –
  • Black and white cookie –
  • Afghan biscuit – a traditional New Zealand biscuit^[12]
  • Chocolate brownie –
• Chocolate spread –
• Confectionery –
  • Chocolate truffle –
  • Chocolate crackles –
  • Choco pie –
  • Rum ball –
• Chocolates –
  • Swiss chocolate –
  • Mint chocolate –
  • Chocolate money –
• Desserts –
  • Molten chocolate cake –
  • Chocolate salami –
• Ice cream –
  • Mint Chocolate Chip –
  • Chocolate Chip –
• Candy –
  • Chocolate bar –
  • Chocolate-coated raisin –
  • Chocolate-coated peanut –
  • Chocolate-coated marshmallow treats –
• Cereals – (see also: List of breakfast cereals):
  • Cocoa Frosted Flakes –
  • Cocoa Puffs –
  • Cocoa Krispies –
  • Cookie Crisp –
• Brand names:
  • Death by Chocolate –

Drinks

A mug of hot chocolate. Chocolate was first drunk rather than eaten.^[10]

• Cafe mocha –
• Chocolate milk –
  • Swiss Miss –
  • Nesquik –
  • Banania –
  • Yoo-hoo –
• Crème de cacao –
• Hot chocolate –
• more...

History

• History of chocolate

Effects on health

Health effects of chocolate

• Theobromine poisoning –

Other articles

• United States military chocolate –
• Couverture chocolate –
• Chocolate fountain –
• Compound chocolate –
• Chocolate agar – named for its color, does not contain cocoa
• Chocolate spread –
• Modeling chocolate –

References

1. "Theobroma cacao". Hort.purdue.edu. 1998-01-09. Retrieved April 2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
2. CMA – Chocolate Manufacturers Association Archived February 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
3. Yang HY, Neff NH (November 1973). "Beta-phenylethylamine: a specific substrate for type B monoamine oxidase of brain". The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 187 (2): 365–71. ISSN 0022-3565. PMID 4748552.
4. 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". The Journal of Neurochemistry. 36 (3): 1298–301. doi:10.1111/j.1471-4159.1981.tb01734.x. ISSN 0022-3042. PMID 7205271.
5. William Marias Malisoff (1943). Dictionary of Bio-Chemistry and Related Subjects. Philosophical Library. pp. 311, 530, 573. ASIN B0006AQ0NU.
6. 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.
7. "Understanding cacao beans: Criollo, Trinitario and Forastero". Store.chocolatceleste.com. Retrieved April 2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
8. "All about Chocolate – Varieties". Xocoatl.org. Retrieved April 2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
9. The Nibble (2008-04-01). "White Chocolate". Thenibble.com. Retrieved April 2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
10. Archived March 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
11. "Sarotti SCHO-KA-KOLA 100g (High Caffein Dark Chocolate 3.5oz)". Germandeli.com. Retrieved April 2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
12. "Anne's Guiding Pages – Some Kiwi Recipes". Azmetro.com. Retrieved April 2013. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)

External links

• Outline of chocolate at DMOZ
• Glossary of Chocolate Terms
•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chocolate". Encyclopædia Britannica. 20 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 259.
• Food of the Gods A Popular Account of Cocoa – Freely downloadable book from Project Gutenberg