Chocolate is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao (cocoa) plant. For more information on the cocoa bean and its use as a spice see this site's spice guide entry for the cocoa bean. However, the seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste and need to be processed to make it palatable and to develop the flavour. The beans

Cocoa pods are harvested by cutting them from the tree using a machete, or by knocking them off the tree using a stick. It is important to harvest the pods when they are fully ripe, because if the pod is unripe, the beans will have a low cocoa butter content, or low sugar content, reducing the ultimate flavour. and their surrounding pulp are removed from the pods and placed in piles or bins to ferment. Micro-organisms, present naturally in the environment, ferment the pectin-containing material. Yeasts produce ethanol, lactic acid bacteria produce lactic acid, and acetic acid bacteria produce acetic acid. The fermentation process, which takes up to seven days, also produces several flavor precursors, that eventually provide the chocolate taste.

After fermentation, the beans must be dried to prevent molud growth. Climate and weather permitting, this is done by spreading the beans out in the sun from five to seven days. In some growing regions (for example, Tobago), the dried beans are then polished for sale by 'dancing the cocoa': spreading the beans onto a floor, adding oil or water, and shuffling the beans against each other using bare feet.

There is an alternative maturing process known as 'moist incubation'. Here, the beans are dried without fermentation. The nibs are then removed and hydrated in an acidic solution. They are heated for 72 hours and dried again. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry showed that the incubated chocolate had higher levels of Strecker aldehydes, and lower levels of pyrazines.

The dried beans are then roasted and then the shell is removed to produce nibs, which are then ground to cocoa mass, unadulterated chocolate in rough form. Once the cocoa mass is liquefied by heating, it is called chocolate liquor. The liquor may also be cooled and processed into its two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Baking chocolate, also called bitter chocolate, contains cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions without any added sugar. Powdered baking cocoa, which contains more fibre than cocoa butter, can be processed with alkali to produce Dutch cocoa. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, a combination of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and added vegetable oils and sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk, but no cocoa solids.

In terms of its etymology, cocoa is a variant of cacao, likely due to confusion with the word coco. It is ultimately derived from kakaw(a), but whether that word originates in Nahuatl or a Mixe-Zoquean language is the subject of substantial linguistic debate. Chocolate is a Spanish loanword, first recorded in English in 1604, and first recorded in Spanish in 1579. The word for chocolate drink in early Nahuatl texts is cacahuatl meaning "cacao water", which chocolate does not immediately derive from.

Drinking chocolate was the original form in the Americas, and this remained the typical means of consumption after its introduction in Europe until the end of the 18th century. Tablets, facilitating the consumption of chocolate under its solid form, have been produced since the early 19th century. Cailler (1819) and Menier (1836) are early examples. In 1830, chocolate is paired with hazelnuts, an innovation due to Kohler. Meanwhile, new processes that sped the production of chocolate emerged early in the Industrial Revolution. In 1815, Dutch chemist Coenraad van Houten introduced alkaline salts to chocolate, which reduced its bitterness. A few years thereafter, in 1828, he created a press to remove about half the natural fat (cocoa butter) from chocolate liquor, which made chocolate both cheaper to produce and more consistent in quality. This innovation introduced the modern era of chocolate, allowing the mass-production of both pure cocoa butter and cocoa powder. English chocolatier Joseph Fry discovered a way to make chocolate more easily mouldable when he mixed the ingredients of cocoa powder and sugar with melted cocoa butter. Subsequently, in 1866 his chocolate factory, Fry's, launched the first mass-produced chocolate bar, Fry's Chocolate Cream, and they became very popular.[42] Milk had sometimes been used as an addition to chocolate beverages since the mid-17th century, but in 1875 Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter invented milk chocolate by mixing a powdered milk developed by Henri Nestlé with the liquor. In 1879, the texture and taste of chocolate was further improved when Rudolphe Lindt invented the conching machine

Today, chocolate is the second most common food flavouring after vanilla.

The alphabetical list of all the chocolate-based recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 414 recipes in total:

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Mint Chocolate Meringue Cheesecake      Origin: American	Pound Cake      Origin: America	Rum Balls      Origin: Aruba
Mispelkuchen mit Ingwer (Gingered Medlar Chocolate Cake)      Origin: Austria	Preiselbeere Sahnetorte (Cowberry Cream Cake)      Origin: Germany	Súkkulaði-slöngukaka (Chocolate 'Snake Cake')      Origin: Iceland
Mississippi Mud Cake      Origin: American	Pressure Cooker Chocolate Peanut Cheesecake      Origin: American	Sachertorte      Origin: Austria
Mississippi Mud Pie      Origin: American	Pressure Cooker Steamed Chocolate Pudding      Origin: American	Salsa de Chocolate Mexicana (Mexican Chocolate Sauce)      Origin: Mexico
Mississippi Mud Pie      Origin: Britain	Profiteroles      Origin: France	Salted Caramel Cheesecake      Origin: Britain
Mocha Frappé      Origin: American	Pudim de Pão de Chocolat (Chocolate Bread Pudding)      Origin: Angola	Salted Caramel Chocolate Fondant      Origin: Britain
Mocha Fudge      Origin: Britain	Puff Pastry Purses      Origin: American	Salted Date and Chocolate Bites      Origin: Britain
Moelleux au Chocolat Amande (Chocolate Cake with Almond Topping)      Origin: Cameroon	Pumpernickel      Origin: Germany	Šampita (Meringue Cake)      Origin: Bosnia
Moist Chocolate Sponge Cake      Origin: Ireland	Pumpkin and Chocolate Chip Sponge Tart      Origin: Britain	Schokoladenpretzel (Chocolate Pretzels)      Origin: Germany
Mole Negro      Origin: Mexico	Pumpkin Brownies      Origin: Britain	Sex Muffins (Sex Muffins)      Origin: Australia
Molleux chocolat cour de framboise (Chocolate Tarts with Raspberry Filling)      Origin: France	Pwdin Bricyll Siocled (Chocolate Apricot Pudding)      Origin: Welsh	Silky Chocolate Pudding      Origin: American
Mont Blancs      Origin: France	Pwdin Bricyll Siocled (Chocolate Rhubarb Pudding)      Origin: Welsh	Simple Mole Poblano      Origin: Mexico
Mousse au chocolat et caramel au beurre salé (Chocolate Mousse with Salted Butter Caramel)      Origin: France	Pwdin Eirin Mair Siocled (Chocolate Gooseberry Pudding)      Origin: Welsh	Snowflake Cake      Origin: America
Mulled Wine Yule Stump Cake      Origin: Britain	Pwdin Eirin Melyn Siocled (Chocolate Greengage Pudding)      Origin: Welsh	Soft-centred Chocolate Pudding      Origin: Australia
Namibischer Bananenkuchen (Namibian Banana Cake)      Origin: Namibia	Pwdin Rhiwbob ac Afal Siocled      Origin: Welsh	Spook-tacular Pumpkin Cheesecake      Origin: American
Nanaimo Bars      Origin: Canada	Pwdin Siocled (Chocolate Pudding)      Origin: Welsh	Strawberry and Macadamia Blondies      Origin: Britain
Nederlander Bloemen Sprits (Chocolate And Cinnamon Sprits Biscuits)      Origin: Netherlands	Quatre-Quart Breton au Chocolat (Chocolate Breton Pound Cake)      Origin: France	Sweet Chestnut Flour, Hazelnut and Chocolate Cake      Origin: Italy
No-cook Chocolate Silk Tarts      Origin: American	Quick Mix Devil's Food Cake      Origin: American	Sweet Potato Brownies      Origin: Britain
Nutella Swirl Banana Muffins      Origin: Britain	Raspberry and White Chocolate Tray Bake      Origin: Britain	Tartys Choklet (Chocolate Tarts)      Origin: England
Nutty Fridge Cake      Origin: American	Raspberry Truffle Tart      Origin: Britain	Terrine fraise chocolat blanc (Strawberry and White Chocolate Terrine)      Origin: France
Oozy Orange Cupcakes      Origin: American	Real Chocolate Buttercream Icing      Origin: Britain	The Ultimate Chocolate Cake      Origin: Britain
Orenau wedi Llenwi (Stuffed Oranges)      Origin: Welsh	Real Chocolate Ice Cream      Origin: Britain	Tipsy Laird      Origin: Scotland
Panforte      Origin: Italy	Red Chicken Mole      Origin: Mexico	Torta di Castagne e Choccolato (Chocolate and Chestnut Torte)      Origin: Italy
Papuan Banana Cake      Origin: Papua New Guinea	Red Velvet Cupcakes      Origin: Britain	Torta Plava zaguna (Blue Lagoon Cake)      Origin: Slovenia
Papuan Banana Cake      Origin: Papua	Reform Cake with Almonds      Origin: Serbia	Tozzetti della Tuscia (Hazelnut Biscotti)      Origin: Italy
Pasilla Mole      Origin: Britain	Ricciarelli (Sienese Christmas Biscuits)      Origin: Italy	Traditional Chocolate Chip Cookies      Origin: America
Peanut Clusters      Origin: Britain	Rice Krispies Easter Eggs      Origin: American	Traditional Sachertorte      Origin: Austria
Peli Rwm Nadolig (Christmas Rum Balls)      Origin: Welsh	Rich Chocolate Cake      Origin: Britain	Trieste Style Štruklji      Origin: Slovenia
Peppermint Patties      Origin: American	Rich Chocolate Mousse Cake      Origin: Britain	Ungodly Chocolate Truffles      Origin: France
Pistachio and White Chocolate Burfi      Origin: Anglo-Indian	Rich Rum Truffles      Origin: Britain	Valentine Heart Pancakes      Origin: American
Pistachio Fudge      Origin: American	Rich Scottish Chocolate Cake      Origin: Scotland	Valentine's Day Chocolate Cheesecake      Origin: American
Pollo de Chocolate (Chocolate Chicken)      Origin: Mexico	Riwlâd Siocled Nadoligaidd (Christmas Chocolate Roulade)      Origin: Welsh	Valerian Hot Chocolate      Origin: Britain
Pork Tenderloins with Adobo Sauce      Origin: American	Rocky Road Cheesecake Pudding      Origin: America
Potato Candy      Origin: Britain	Rum and Chocolate Cupcakes      Origin: Britain

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