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Outline of chocolate facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to chocolate:

What is chocolate?

  • Chocolate – raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to improve the flavor. Chocolate is a popular ingredient in confectionery items and candies.

What type of thing is chocolate?

Chocolate is a type of:

  • Food – substance to provide nutritional support for the body, ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, and/or stimulate growth.
    • Confectionery – the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well.
      • Candy – confection made from a concentrated solution of sugar in water, to which flavorings and colorants are added. Candies come in numerous colors and varieties and have a long history in popular culture.
    • Ingredient – substance that forms part of a mixture (in a general sense). For example, in cooking, recipes specify which ingredients are used to prepare a specific dish. Chocolate is often used as an ingredient in dessert items, such as cakes and cookies.

What is chocolate made of?

Cocoa Pods
Chocolate is created from the cacao bean. A cacao tree with fruit pods in various stages of ripening

Necessary ingredients

Substances found in cacao
  • Antioxidants
    • Flavonols
    • Catechin
  • Caffeine
  • Phenethylamine – psychoactive substance that is usually inactive when orally ingested because most of it is metabolized into phenylacetic acid by monoamine oxidase (MAO), preventing significant concentrations from reaching the brain
  • Theobromine – also known as xantheose, it contains no bromine and has a similar, but lesser, effect to caffeine
  • Theophylline, which is also found in tea leaves
Source of the cocoa bean

Optional ingredients

Ingredients of white chocolate

Types

Chocolate02

Types of chocolate

Production methods

  • Broma process
  • Dutch process chocolate
  • Federal Specification for Candy and Chocolate Confections

Brands

Edibles

Drinks

Hot chocolate
A mug of hot chocolate. Chocolate was first drunk rather than eaten.

History

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Outline of chocolate Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.