What is Chocolate and Where Does it Come From?

How many kinds of chocolate are there?  What defines something as being chocolate and who makes the rules? The definition of chocolate is regulated by the governments that consume it. Different countries define chocolate in different ways, most often naming types of chocolate as they relate to the percentage of cocoa products inherent within. Names can be confusing to navigate, especially when they aren’t found in the register of the chocolate-producing country.   

In the United States, we have around fifteen different FDA-regulated types of cocoa products. Below is a glossary of nine FDA-approved designations more useful to small-batch chocolate makers and retailers:

Cacao nibs (Also legally can be called “cocoa nibs” or “cracked cocoa”) - Made from cured, cleaned, dried, whole cacao beans that are shelled and cracked. Usually the cacao beans are roasted before being shelled and cracked, but the FDA does not regulate the nomenclature based on this process. Nibs are unique because they are minimally processed and they retain their original fat content, which is usually around 50 percent.  

Chocolate Liquor (Also legally can be called "chocolate", "unsweetened chocolate", "bitter chocolate", "baking chocolate", "cooking chocolate", "chocolate coating", or "unsweetened chocolate coating") - Made by finely grinding cacao nibs. Liquor cannot contain less than 50 percent by weight nor more than 60 percent by weight of cacao fat (cocoa butter). Additional cacao fat or cocoa solids can be added as long as the percentage of cacao fat falls within the required 50-60 percent range. It has no sweeteners added. Cocoa liquor is unsweetened, 100 percent chocolate. It also does not have anything to do with alcohol, as it’s meaning comes from the lesser known use of the word “liquor”, which means a liquid used in a particular process. 

Cocoa - A powder that is ground from the cocoa mass left over after cacao fat is partially removed from ground cacao nibs. It is separated into three different types based on the percent of cacao fat remaining:

• Breakfast Cocoa (Also legally can be called "high fat cocoa") - Powder made from grinding the cocoa mass left over after cacao fat is partially removed from ground cacao nibs. Breakfast cocoa contains not less than 22 percent by weight of cacao fat.
• Cocoa (Also legally can be called "medium fat cocoa") - Powder made from grinding the cocoa mass left over after cacao fat is partially removed from ground cacao nibs. Cocoa contains not more than 22 percent and not less than 10 percent by weight of cacao fat.
• Lowfat Cocoa - Powder made from grinding the cocoa mass left over after cacao fat is partially removed from ground cacao nibs. Lowfat cocoa contains not more than 10 percent by weight of cacao fat.

Any type of cocoa can be either “natural” or “Dutch process”. Dutch process cocoa powder is made by either soaking ground cacao nibs before cocoa fat extraction or by soaking cocoa solids after cocoa fat extraction in an alkalizing agent, which makes the resulting cocoa powder darker in color with a milder taste and a neutral or higher pH.  Natural cocoa powder is not alkalized and so retains characteristic flavors, a lighter color, and more acidic pH.

Sweet Chocolate (Also legally can be called "sweet chocolate coating") - Made by mixing and grinding chocolate liquor with a sweetener, and must contain at least 15 percent by weight of chocolate liquor (which is calculated by subtracting the weight of the cacao fat inherent in the liquor and then multiplying that number by 2.2, then dividing by the total weight and multiplying by 100 to get a percentage). It also must contain less than 12 percent by weight of total milk solids. Cannot be called milk chocolate.

Semisweet Chocolate (Also legally can be called "semisweet chocolate", "semisweet chocolate coating", "bittersweet chocolate", or "bittersweet chocolate coating") - Made by mixing and grinding chocolate liquor with an approved sweetener, and must contain at least 35 percent by weight of chocolate liquor (which is officially calculated by subtracting the weight of the cacao fat inherent from the liquor and then multiplying that number by 2.2, then dividing by the total weight and multiplying by 100 to get a percentage). It also must contain less than 12 percent by weight of total milk solids. Cannot be called milk chocolate.

Milk Chocolate (Also can be legally called "milk chocolate coating") - Made by mixing and grinding chocolate liquor with dairy ingredients and sweeteners, and must contain at least 10 percent by weight of chocolate liquor, not less than 3.39 percent by weight of milkfat and not less than 12 percent by weight of total milk solids.

White Chocolate (Also can be legally called "white chocolate coating") - Made by mixing and grinding cacao fat (cocoa butter) with optional dairy ingredients and sweeteners. Must be at least 20 percent cacao fat and not more than 55 percent by weight of sweeteners.  

There are no other relevant classifications of what cocoa products are in the FDA register. There is no regulated definition of “dark chocolate”, nor are there any regulated differences between semisweet and bittersweet chocolate. No FDA regulations classify chocolate with greater than 35 percent chocolate liquor into other types of chocolate. The equation the FDA uses to determine percentages has you subtract the weight of cocoa butter and then multiply the weight of cocoa solids left by the number 2.2. The definition of cocoa percentages in chocolate are based on cocoa solids, not cocoa butter. Legal nomenclature makes it hard to differentiate high quality cocoa products within broad FDA regulated terms.  

So, what is a fine chocolate-maker to do to differentiate their product? How can we convey a difference when there are no words or labels created by the government to describe those differences?  

One way is to make and borrow regulated definitions and types of chocolate from other countries. The European Union (EU) lists a few more versions of regulated chocolate than the FDA. At Meridian, we offer one of these products, called “couveture”, that differentiates our chocolate chips from others in the market.