The story of chocolate is both a global story and a highly personal one. From the rituals of the ancient Maya to the treat you enjoyed today after lunch, chocolate is a nearly universal language.

How Chocolate is Made
The beans found in a cocoa pod are removed and fermented to develop the flavor and aroma of chocolate. These beans are then dried, their husks removed and the insides or “nibs” roasted and ground into a liquid cocoa mass, called cocoa liquor. This is pressed to separate the cocoa butter from the cocoa cake, which is milled into cocoa powder.

Cocoa powder is mixed with other ingredients, such as milk and sugar, to make the chocolate we know and enjoy. Chocolate makers have their own recipes that use different proportions of cocoa powder, cocoa liquor or cocoa butter, blending techniques and other processes.

The History of Chocolate
Chocolate’s rich history spans the centuries. Only relatively recently have people started preparing sweet chocolates.