Outline of chocolate

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to chocolate:

What is chocolate?

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?

A cacao tree with fruit pods in various stages of ripening. Chocolate is created from the cacao bean.

Necessary ingredients

  • Cocoa (processed cacao)
    • Cacao bean – Fatty seed of Theobroma cacao
      • 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

Optional ingredients

  • Milk – Nutrient-rich liquid produced by mammals
  • Sugar – Sweet-tasting, water-soluble carbohydrates
  • Vanilla – Spice extracted from orchids of the genus Vanilla
  • Emulsifier – Mixture of two or more immiscible liquids
Substances found in cacao
Source of cocoa
  • Theobroma cacao, also known as Cacao tree – Species of tree grown for its seeds
  • Types of cocoa beans

Types

Types of chocolate – Classification of different chocolate types

Production methods

  • Broma process – Method of extracting cocoa butter from cocoa beans
  • Conching – Process for refining chocolate by stirring at high temperature
  • Dutch process cocoa – Cocoa that has been treated with an alkalizing agent
  • Enrober – Machine to coat a food item
  • Federal Specification for Candy and Chocolate Confections – US standard for products made for use by the federal government
  • Sugar crust – Method to prepare liquid filled chocolates
  • Tempered chocolate – Technique in chocolate manufacture

Producers and trade organizations

Chocolate industry

  • Chocolaterie – Company that manufactures chocolates and sells them directly
  • Chocolatier – Someone who makes confectionery from chocolate
    • List of chocolatiers
  • 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
  • Bean-to-bar – Business model in chocolate production

Brands

  • List of chocolate bar brands – Alphabetical listing of brand names and marketing regions
    • Scho-Ka-Kola – German chocolate brand containing coffee and kola nut – a chocolate brand containing coffee and cola nut

Edibles

  • Brand names:
  • Candy – Sweet confection
    • Chocolate bar – Confection
    • 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.
  • Cereals
  • Chocolate cake – Baked cake flavored with chocolate
  • Chocolate pudding – Class of desserts with chocolate flavours
  • Chocolate spread – Sweet chocolate-flavored paste
  • Chocolate syrup – Chocolate-flavored condiment used as a topping or ingredient
  • Chocolates –
    • Chocolate money – Gold foil covered chocolates in the shape of coins
    • Mint chocolate – Food produced from cacao seeds
  • Confectionery – Art of making confections or sweet foods
    • Choco pie – Snack cookie with chocolate coating
    • Chocolate crackles – Confection in Australia and New Zealand made of puffed rice
    • Chocolate truffle – Type of chocolate confectionery
    • Rum ball – Truffle-like confection of cookie butter flavored with chocolate and rum
  • Cookie – Small, flat and sweetened baked food
  • Dessert – Sweet course that concludes a meal
    • Chocolate salami – Italian, Portuguese and Romanian chocolate dessert
    • Molten chocolate cake – Dessert
    • Mousse – Soft creamy prepared food using air bubbles for texture
  • Ice cream – Frozen dessert

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-flavoured milk
    • Banania – A chocolate drink found most widely distributed in France
    • Nesquik – Brand of products made by Nestlé
    • Swiss Miss – American cocoa powder and pudding brand
    • 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
  • List of chocolate beverages – A list of notable beverages flavoured with chocolate

History

Effects on health

  • Chocolate agar – Growth medium – named for its colour, does not contain cocoa
  • Chocolate fountain – Device for serving chocolate fondue
  • Chocolate spread – Sweet chocolate-flavored paste
  • Cocoa-free chocolate alternative
  • Military chocolate
    • United States military chocolate – Standard U.S. military ration item
    • Military chocolate (Switzerland) – Chocolate issued in the Swiss military

References

  1. ^ "Theobroma cacao". Hort.purdue.edu. 9 January 1998. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  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. doi:10.1016/S0022-3565(25)29682-3. 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. S2CID 36099388.
  4. ^ Malisoff, William Marias (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. ^ "History". Archived from the original on 17 March 2009.