How is Chocolate Made?

Traditionally made chocolate is a unique treat made using unconventional methods. Chocolate is altered from its original cocoa bean form, like ice cream or cake. Chocolate is undoubtedly a sweet treat, but if its roots are traced back, some may wonder if chocolate could be considered a fruit.

Cocoa beans are found in tropical areas in South America and West Africa. These beans are gathered, roasted, ground into a paste, and combined with cocoa butter and sugar to make chocolate. The quality of the chocolate varies greatly depending on the ingredients and techniques used.

All chocolate is derived from cocoa beans, with one notable exception, white chocolate. Instead of any cocoa bean parts, this chocolate is made only from cocoa butter and sugar. While white chocolate shares the distinct taste of chocolate, it shouldn’t be considered the same kind of chocolate as milk or dark.

Is Chocolate a Fruit?

Cocoa trees are very different than traditional trees. Cocoa pods hang overhead on their long branches, filled with valuable cocoa beans. Similar to an apple tree, the cocoa tree is a fruit-bearing plant. Therefore, the cocoa seeds used in chocolate are also considered a fruit.

From here, the vocabulary may become unclear, even for experts. Chocolate’s main ingredient is a fruit, but the ingredient is heavily processed to create chocolate.

Apple cider could also be considered a fruit, but it is more common to say apple cider is made from fruit instead of being fruit itself. The same could be said for chocolate. While made from a fruit, chocolate combines many different ingredients to create something new.

Chocolate and Fruit’s Delicious Compatibility

Chocolate may not be considered a fruit on its own, but its floral and earthy flavor notes are perfect to pair with other fruity flavors. Dark chocolate is well regarded as a delicious companion to other fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, and cherries. Even a glass of wine derived from grapes is an elegant complementary flavor to chocolate.

Dilettante Chocolates combines fruit and chocolate in its Chocolate Covered Fruit Medley assortment. This 36-Ounce assortment features six different fruit flavors coated in decadent milk chocolate. Explore a delicious variety of chocolate and fruit tastes from Dilettante’s revered Fruit Medley Wheel.

Ryan

Raised in the Pacific Northwest, Ryan has a fondness for the outdoors, music, and coffee. Some of his favorites are Dilettante's Chocolate-Covered Bing Cherries and L'Orange Truffles. Through his writing and content, he hopes to grow the Dilettante community.