ˈCHäk(ə)lət/
noun
noun: chocolate
a food preparation in the form of a paste or solid block made from roasted and ground cacao seeds, typically sweetened.
"a bar of chocolate"
- a candy made of or covered with this.plural noun: chocolates"a box of chocolates"
- hot chocolate."I drink chocolate because it is so soothing"
Chocolate is a typically sweet, usually brown, food preparation of Theobroma cacao seeds, roasted and ground, often flavored, as with vanilla. Source: Wikipedia
Chocolate, general term for the products of the seeds of the cacao
or chocolate tree, used for making beverages or confectionery. The
flavor of chocolate depends not only on the quality of the cocoa nibs
(the remainder after the seeds are fermented, dried, and roasted) and
the flavorings but also on a complex process of grinding, heating, and
blending. The chocolate liquid formed in an intermediate stage is used
in the confectionery trade as a covering for fruits, candies, or
cookies, or the process may be continued and the resulting smooth mass
of chocolate molded, cooled, and packaged as candy. It should be hard
enough to snap when broken, have a mellow flow when melting, be free of
gritty particles, and have a rich, dark color and an aromatic smell and
flavor.
A chocolate beverage was known to the Aztecs and through
Spanish explorers found (c.1500) its way into Europe; the Maya also made
such a drink, perhaps as early as 900 B.C., and may also have used
chocolate in prepared food. In 1657 a shop was opened in London where
chocolate was sold at luxury prices. It became a fashionable drink; many
shops sprang up to become centers of political discussion and grow into
famous clubs, such as the Cocoa Tree. Chocolate was first manufactured
in the United States at Milton Lower Mills, near Dorchester, Mass., in
1765. About 1876, M. D. Peter of Vevey, Switzerland, perfected a process
of making milk chocolate by combining the cocoa nib, sugar, fat, and
condensed milk. The United States has the world's largest
chocolate-manufacturing industry.