The Story of Chocolate

Chocolate comprises a number of raw and processed foods produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America, with its earliest documented use around 1100 BC. The majority of the Mesoamerican peoples made chocolate beverages, including the Aztecs and the Maya, who made it into a beverage known as xocolātl, a Nahuatl word meaning "bitter water". The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste, and must be fermented to develop the flavor.

Chocolate Links of Interest

How to Taste Dark Chocolate
The actual flavor compounds found in dark chocolate exceed those of red wine, and detecting all these notes can be an extremely fun and educational endeavor. The following will serve as a guideline, so that you can extract the fullest flavor potential from dark chocolate.

HERSHEY'S Chocolate
HERSHEYS.COM has everything chocolate! Check out HERSHEY'S products, view delicious recipes, learn about current promotions along with much more..

Chocolate
Definition from Answers.com Fermented, roasted, shelled, and ground cacao seeds