Beautiful Chocolates in the World

What follows are some definitions of different types of chocolate, plus a few other chocolatey terms for good measure.

The FDA defines what can be labeled unsweetened, bittersweet, semisweet, sweet, milk, and white chocolate, but the rest, well, the rest is up to the manufacturer and can get a bit confusing. We’ve tried to clear it up as much as possible. Use the links below or scroll down.

Types of Chocolate

Cacao

Chocolate Liquor

Unsweetened Chocolate

Bittersweet Chocolate

Sweet Chocolate

Milk Chocolate

White Chocolate

Cocoa

Ground Chocolate

Baking Chocolate

Chocolate Coating

Couverture

Gianduja

Single Bean Chocolate

Cocoa Butter

Chocolates

Chocolate Extract

Chocolate Oil

Cacao

  aka Cacao Nibs, Raw Cacao, Roasted Cacao, Ground Cacao

This is the cacao bean, minus the shell, and nothing else. You can buy cacao raw or roasted. Whole cacao is the whole bean, cacao nibs are crunched up pieces of bean, and ground cacao is powdered. Really the healthiest form of chocolate there is, cacao can sometimes be quite bitter.

Chocolate Liquor

aka Chocolate Liqueur

This is the basis of all types of chocolate, formed by grinding cacao beans into a smooth, liquid paste. Nothing is added, and it does not contain alcohol, despite the name. It naturally contains about 53% cocoa butter (fat).

Unsweetened Chocolate

aka Chocolate, Baking Chocolate, Pure Chocolate, Bitter Chocolate

Chocolate liquor that has been allowed to cool and harden. It is used for baking and to make other types of chocolate. Many bakers prefer this type of chocolate for baking because they have more control over the flavor and sweetness.

Bittersweet Chocolate

aka Semisweet Chocolate, Dark Chocolate

Contains at least 35% chocolate liquor, plus cocoa butter and sugar in varying amounts. There is no technical difference between bittersweet and semisweet types of chocolate, and they are often referred to as “dark.” Note that there is such a thing as “bittersweet (or semisweet) baking chocolate,” which is sweetened cocoa liquor without the added cocoa butter.

Sweet Chocolate

Contains at least 15% chocolate liquor, plus cocoa butter and sugar in varying amounts. Some people mistakenly refer to this as “bittersweet.”

Milk Chocolate

Contains at least 10% chocolate liquor, plus cocoa butter and sugar in varying amounts, and at least 12% milk (milk, cream, milk powder, etc).

White Chocolate

White chocolate is not technically one of the types of chocolate because it does not contain any chocolate liquor. It must contain at