Chocolate liquor facts for kids
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| Alternative names | Cocoa liquor |
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| Type | Chocolate |
| Main ingredients | Cocoa beans |
Chocolate liquor (also called cocoa liquor) is a pure form of chocolate. It's a thick, paste-like substance made from cocoa beans. Even though it's called "liquor," it does not contain any alcohol.
Chocolate liquor is the main ingredient used to make almost all kinds of chocolate. It contains two important parts of the cocoa bean: cocoa solids and cocoa butter. These two parts are found in roughly equal amounts within the liquor.
Contents
How Chocolate Liquor is Made
Making chocolate liquor starts with cocoa beans. These beans go through several steps to become the thick paste.
From Bean to Paste
First, the cocoa beans are fermented. This means they are left to sit, which helps develop their flavor. After fermenting, the beans are dried. Then, they are roasted, which brings out even more of their rich chocolate taste.
Next, the outer skins are removed from the roasted beans. The inside parts of the beans are called "nibs." These nibs are then ground into a very fine powder. As the nibs are ground, the natural fat inside them, called cocoa butter, melts. This melting turns the powder into a thick, flowing paste. This paste is what we call chocolate liquor.
What Happens Next
Once the chocolate liquor is made, it can be used in different ways. Sometimes, it is pressed to separate the cocoa solids from the cocoa butter. The cocoa solids are used to make cocoa powder. The cocoa butter is used in chocolate bars or other products.
Other times, the chocolate liquor is cooled down. It is then shaped into solid blocks. These blocks are a form of raw chocolate. They are often used as a base for making different kinds of chocolate, like milk chocolate or dark chocolate.
What's in Chocolate Liquor?
Chocolate liquor is packed with natural ingredients from the cocoa bean. It has a mix of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.
- About 53 percent of chocolate liquor is cocoa butter. This is the natural fat found in cocoa beans.
- Around 17 percent is made up of carbohydrates. These provide energy.
- About 11 percent is protein. Proteins are important for building and repairing your body.
- It also contains small amounts of other things. These include tannins and theobromine. Theobromine is a natural stimulant, similar to caffeine.
Images for kids
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Cacao nibs, pieces of cocoa kernels, are powdered and melted into chocolate liquor.
See also
In Spanish: Masa del cacao para niños
