Alkalization: Introduced by Dutchman van Houten, the treatment of cacao beans with an alkali during processing to neutralize acidity. This process modifies both the flavor and the final product. It is more commonly known as the “Dutch Process”.

Antioxidant: A chemical compound that inhibits oxidation and protect the body’s cells from damage.

Baking Chocolate: Chocolate sold in bars for baking containing 60 percent cocoa paste and 40 percent sugar.

Ballotin: The name of a French box of chocolates in which European chocolates are sold.

Blended: A chocolate bar containing more than one variety and/or region of cacao bean.

Bonbon (also Praline): A molded chocolate with a filling.

Cacao Bean: The seeds embedded in the pod of the Theobroma Cacao. There are generally between 20-60 beans per cacao pod that only grow within twenty degrees of the equator. This is where all cocoa and chocolate comes from.

Cacao Liquor (also Chocolate Liquor, Chocolate Liquid, Chocolate Mass, Cocoa Liquor): The nibs of cacao beans are ground into a paste after being heated and releasing their fat. This is the first stage of making
chocolate. It is also known as chocolate mass. It contains no alcohol.

Cacao Pods (also Pod, Cocoa Pod): The fruit of the Theobroma Cacao producing the cacao bean. They hang from the trunk of the tree and can get as long as 12” and mature in four to five months. As the are part of the
evergreen family, the tree flowers all year long.

Calets (also Pistoles, Discs, Pastilles, Feves): Chocolate made into small discs for distribution to chocolatiers and pastry chefs for easier and more convenient form of couverture than block form.

Chocolate: The final product where chocolate liquor has been added in varying amounts, depending on the percentage desired, to other ingredients to create a final product.

Chocolate Bar (also Bar, Tablette, Slab): An eating bar of chocolate.

Chocolate Bloom: The grayish-white film that appears on chocolate as a resulting from changes in temperature or humidity. It does not deter from the taste of the chocolate, however, it does detract from the appearance.

Chocolate Chips: Chocolate made in the form of “chips” that retain their shape during the baking process due to the increased amount of cocoa butter added to the chocolate.

Chocolate Syrup: A sauce made with chocolate or cocoa, usually unsweetened, adding sugar, water and occasionally other flavorings.

Chocolatier: Someone or someplace that makes and/or sells chocolate.
Cocoa Bean : The dry and fermented cacao bean.

Cocoa Belt: Theobroma Cacao only grows in tropical regions of Asia, Africa, South America and Central America within the rainforest where the climate is very warm and humid. The belt is the area about 20 degrees north and south of the equator.

Cocoa Butter: The waxy, pale yellow vegetable fat obtained from the dried and roasted cacao beans. It is solid at room temperature and why chocolate requires tempering in the final process prior to cooling. A bean contains about 50 percent cocoa butter and it remains firm at room temperature.

Cocoa Cakes: The chocolate liquor where most of the cocoa butter has been removed. The percentage of cocoa butter varies depending on intended future use.

Cocoa Nibs (also Nibs): The broken cocoa particles remaining after the cacao beans have been roasted, winnowed and cracked. They recently have been added back to some artisan chocolate bars as a variety to
create more flavor and texture. Also known as the heart.

Cocoa Percentage (also Cocoa Content): The amount of cocoa used in chocolate. The higher the amount, the more pronounced the flavor. Over 70 percent cocoa is beneficial to your health.

Cocoa Powder: The cocoa solids ground and pressed into a powder. Cocoa powder is unsweetened. Breakfast cocoa contains at least 22 percent cocoa butter, low-fat cocoa contains less than ten percent cocoa butter and medium-fat cocoa contains between 10-22 percent cocoa butter. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is darker and less bitter than other cocoas.

Confectioner’s Coating (also Confectioners’ Coating, Decorator’s Chocolate): Chocolate substitute used to lessen the expense of using the expense of real chocolate in coating. Some contain small amounts of cacao
liquor or cocoa powder.

Couverture: The French word meaning “to cover”. It is a high quality chocolate for cooking or eating containing at least 32 percent cocoa butter fat in dark chocolate by French standards.

Criollo: The richest, most expensive and the most fragrant of all the beans of the Theobroma Cacao tree. They are used for the highest quality chocolate and are very scarce representing only one percent of all chocolate produced. The trees produce few pods and are quite vulnerable to disease. Criollo is grown in Central America, Indonesia and Venezuela.

Cru: A winemaker’s term borrowed first by the Valrhona chocolate company. It designates several varieties of chocolate made from cacao beans from a particular geographical location.

Dark Chocolate (also Semisweet Chocolate, Bittersweet Chocolate): By United States standards, to be considered dark chocolate is must possess at least 35 percent cocoa mass. French dark chocolate must contain at least 70 percent cocoa mass to qualify as dark chocolate. 85 percent or more is quite popular among chocolate aficionados. Lecithin is often added as an emulsifier to create a creamier mouth feel. Vanilla may
also be added.

Dark Milk Chocolate: A recent term in chocolate signifying a milk chocolate with higher than required cocoa content.

Drinking Chocolate (also hot or cold chocolate): A sweet and often spiced hot drink made of chocolate and either water or milk. In recent history, drinking chocolate is often served cold and iced made with either
white, milk or dark chocolate.

Dutch Process Cocoa Powder: The cocoa powder is treated with an alkaline salt to increase the pH value and neutralize the acidity. This process deepens the color of the cocoa powder.

Enrobing: The thin, hard chocolate covering of a bonbon. The layer may be applied by dipping the chocolate center or by pouring chocolate over it.

Estate Chocolate: The chocolate is made with beans from a single plantation, although the beans may be from more than one variety.

Finish: Borrowed from wine terminology, the type of taste and length of the taste remains in the month after consumption.

Forastero: The most common cacao of the Theobroma Cacao tree which grow primarily in Africa. It is hardy and resistant to pests and disease.

Ganache: A mixture of chocolate mixed with cream used for glazes, coatings, truffles, and bonbon fillings.

Gianduja: A blended mixture of roasted hazelnuts and milk chocolate used for chocolate fillings. It was created in the Piedmont region of Italy where there are excessive amounts of hazelnuts.

Lecithin: A soy product often used in chocolate as a natural thinning emulsifier.

Milk Chocolate: Chocolate containing any amount of cocoa liquor, sugar and any form of milk.

Sheen: The pleasant shine on eating and couverture chocolate, the higher the quality of the chocolate, the more sheen.

Single-Origin Chocolate (also Single-Variety Chocolate): Chocolate made from beans from only one region or one variety of beans.

Snap: The sound a chocolate bar should make when a piece is broken off. It should have a clean break and a crisp, sharp sound.

Sugar Bloom: Occurs as white dots and stickiness on the chocolate when it is stored in the refrigerator. It is harmless and is caused by the sugar rising to the surface of the chocolate.

Tasting: A term borrowed from wine, noting spiciness, nutty flavor, fruitiness, flowery taste, vegetable taste and miscellaneous tastes when consuming chocolate. Also noting color, texture, sheen or discolorations,
snapping the bar and finally, by sniffing the chocolate.

Tempering: A technique of heating, cooling and reheating chocolate under controlled conditions to stabilize the fat. This process allows a smooth, glossy appearance.

Theobroma cacao (also Chocolate Tree): A small evergreen tree that produces the cacao bean native to the tropical regions of the Americas located between 20º north and south of the equator.

Trinitario: A hybrid of Criollo and Forastero cacao used in 10percent of the chocolate production. They have the fruitiness of the Criollo, but are more resistant to disease.

Truffle: Named after the truffle fungus for which they were meant to resemble. Traditionally made with a ganache center and covered with cocoa powder or chocolate.

Vanilla: Often used to flavor chocolate, comes from the Madagascar orchid.

Vanillin: A pine tree resin used in chocolate as a cheap substitute for vanilla. Avoid at all costs!

White Chocolate: Ivory mixture that is not legally chocolate as it contains no cacao solids. Generally contains at least 20percent cocoa butter and other flavorings such as sugar, milk solids, flavorings and often other fats.

Xocoatl: The original word for chocolate that means “bitter water” or “to drink chocolate together”.