4 The Course to Chocolate

THE COURSE TO CHOCOLATE by Harriet Brundle

HOP IN THE CHOCOLATE BOX Hello! My name is Kwame and this is my food truck, the Chocolate Box. Which of my tasty chocolate bars would you like to try? MENU Milk chocolate Dark chocolate White chocolate Chocolate caramel Oh no! I've run out of chocolate! I need to go get some more. Hop in the Chocolate Box and come with me! The Chocolate Box

THE COURSE TO CHOCOLATE Chocolate is made from cocoa beans. The beans come from cacao trees. The Chocolate Box Cocoa beans Cocoa pods growing on a cacao tree Cacao trees grow pods that have cocoa beans inside. To get the beans, people cut the pods from the trees.

INSIDE THE POD Then, the pods are cut open. Cocoa beans and white pulp are taken out and are left to ferment. The Chocolate Box Cocoa beans covered in pulp After fermenting, the beans are dried. Sometimes, they are dried by machines. Other times, they are dried under the hot sun.

AT THE FACTORY Next, the dried beans go to a factory, where they are cleaned and roasted. Roasting brings out the chocolate flavor. After roasting, the beans' shells are taken away. Only cocoa nibs are left. Cocoa nibs

GRIND IT UP The nibs are ground up. This makes a very thick, dark liquid called cocoa mass. The cocoa mass is made up of cocoa butter and cocoa solids. Cocoa butter is the fatty part of chocolate. Cocoa solids are dry and give the chocolate flavor.