By Niveditha Kalyanaraman
November 18th, 2023
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Chocolate is a worldwide favorite, but the term “chocolate” actually means quite a few different things. One look at a grocery store chocolate aisle confirms this fact. With so many options, it’s overwhelming. The word “chocolate” can refer to everything from sweet milk chocolate to super dark chocolate with 80 percent cocoa, and a whole host of other options in between. Here are 10 types of chocolate.
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Milk chocolate is perhaps the most popular type of chocolate. It actually contains only ten to 40 percent cacao mixed with sugar and milk. It is much, much sweeter than dark or bittersweet chocolate but isn’t great for baking because it’s prone to overheating.
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White chocolate does not contain chocolate liquor or any other cocoa products besides cocoa butter. It doesn’t have a very chocolatey taste, but resembles smooth vanilla.
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Dark chocolate contains chocolate liquor, sugar, and cocoa butter. It also commonly includes lecithin as an emulsifier and vanilla for flavor. Dark chocolate does not contain any milk solids. Bittersweet chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate are also technically “dark chocolate,” but are used for baking purposes.
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Semisweet chocolate falls somewhere between bittersweet chocolate and sweet dark chocolate. This type of chocolate is most commonly used for baking.
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Bittersweet chocolate contains 50 percent cocoa. This type of chocolate often has a deeper, more bitter flavor than other types of chocolate.
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Unsweetened chocolate is just like its name implies. It’s pure chocolate liquor, made of simply ground cocoa beans. It’s also known as baking chocolate, because it’s not meant for consumption on its own.
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Cocoa powder is also comprised of 100 percent cacao with no sugar, but has had the cocoa butter extracted out. Cocoa powder is also very bitter, but is commonly used in recipes. It’s a helpful ingredient because it easily mixes in with doughs and batters.
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Sweet German chocolate is a dark baking chocolate created by a man named Samuel German, who gave it it’s name. He created this chocolate to be convenient for bakers and added sugar directly to it. Therefore, it’s sweeter than semisweet chocolate.
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Couverture chocolate is an expensive type of chocolate that contains a higher percentage of cocoa butter than other varieties. The high cocoa butter content helps it melt quickly and evenly, making it perfect for tempering and making candies.
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Ruby chocolate is the newest variety around, formulated in China in September 2017. It is made from ruby cocoa beans naturally found in Ecuador, Brazil, which give the chocolate its rosy hue. It is said to taste a combination of white chocolate and berries, even though there aren’t any berries in the recipe.
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