chocolat

Chocolat is a food product derived from cacao beans. In French, the word chocolat refers to the edible product made from cacao. The production involves fermenting, drying, and roasting cacao beans, grinding them to a paste (cocoa liquor), and pressing to separate cocoa butter from cocoa solids. The mixture is then refined, conched, tempered, and shaped as bars or used in confections, often with sugar and sometimes milk and other ingredients such as vanilla or lecithin.

Historically, cacao beverages were consumed by Mesoamerican civilizations such as the Maya and the Aztec. After Spanish colonization, chocolate was sweetened and popularized in Europe in the 16th century. The modern solid chocolate emerged in the 19th century with innovations by firms like Fry, Nestlé, and Lindt, enabling the production of milk and dark chocolate.

Common varieties include dark chocolate (high percentage of cacao solids), milk chocolate (cocoa solids plus milk powder or condensed milk), and white chocolate (cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids). Cocoa percentages indicate cacao mass content and influence flavor and texture.

Chocolate is produced in many regions, with major agricultural areas in West Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia. It is a globally traded commodity, intertwined with issues of sustainability, fair compensation for farmers, and environmental impact.

In culture, the term Chocolat has also been used as the title of works such as the novel Chocolat by Joanne Harris and its 2000 film adaptation.