Bittersweet Chocolate

Unsweetened, bittersweet, or semisweet chocolate depends mostly on the percentage of cacao the chocolate contains. As the cacao percentage increases, the chocolate itself will taste more intensely chocolatey and less sweet. Bittersweet chocolate is a variety of chocolate with a cacao percentage of around 70%.

In North America, the FDA requires bittersweet chocolate to contain at least 35 percent cacao, but most manufacturers make their bars with 50 to 60 percent. In Great Britain, the figure is somewhat higher, rising to 43 percent. The high cacao content makes the chocolate flavor deep and less sweet, with a slightly dry or crumbly texture

Bittersweet chocolate is essentially a mixture of chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, and sometimes vanilla. Often, lecithin is added as an emulsifying agent.

Bittersweet chocolate is darker than milk chocolate and semisweet chocolate. It is not quite as dark as true dark chocolate (which usually has a cacao percentage above seventy-five percent) or unsweetened chocolate. Bittersweet chocolate is used for most baked goods and desserts and for dipping and coating.
Bittersweet Chocolate