How well do you know chocolate?
Chocolate has travelled from ancient temples to supermarket shelves. Six questions, from easy to hard.
Did you know?
- Cacao pods grow directly from the trunk and main branches of the tree. Each pod contains about 30 to 50 beans surrounded by sweet, white pulp.
- The scientific name of the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, means 'food of the gods'. It was chosen by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century.
- Depending on the recipe and the size of the pod, it takes the beans from roughly one or two cacao pods to make a standard bar of dark chocolate. A single tree may produce only a few dozen pods a year.
From ancient drink to global treat
Cacao was used in Mesoamerica for thousands of years before it reached Europe. The Olmec, Maya and Aztecs prepared it as a drink for rituals, celebrations and the elite. After the Spanish brought cacao to Europe in the 16th century, sugar and milk gradually transformed it into the sweet chocolate known today.
From bean to bar
Making chocolate involves several steps: fermenting cacao beans in their pulp, drying them, roasting, cracking them into nibs and grinding the nibs into liquid. Makers then adjust the recipe with sugar, milk and cocoa butter, and refine it until smooth.
The inventions that made modern chocolate
In 1828, Coenraad van Houten developed a press to separate cocoa butter from cocoa solids, making cocoa powder. Later, Swiss makers created milk chocolate and 'conching', long mixing that gives chocolate its smooth texture. These inventions made chocolate affordable and popular.
Where cocoa grows
Cacao grows only within about 20 degrees of the equator. Most is grown on small family farms in West Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia. The work is labour-intensive, as pods are harvested by hand.
Chocolate today
Today, chocolate ranges from mass-produced bars to single-origin chocolate that highlights the flavour of beans from a specific region. Consumers increasingly ask about fair payment for farmers and sustainable farming, and many brands now publish where their cocoa comes from.
Chocolate and health
Dark chocolate contains compounds called flavanols, which researchers have studied for possible effects on blood vessels and heart health. However, most chocolate bars also contain a lot of sugar and fat, so scientists recommend enjoying chocolate in moderation. Higher cocoa percentages generally mean more cocoa solids and less sugar, giving a more intense and bitter taste.