Cocoa and Chocolate the Terms

Cocoa and Chocolate the Terms
When one hears the word “koko” he does not always form the correct mental image of what it means.

Coco is the name of a tree, Cocos nucifera.
Coca is the name of a shrub, Erythoxylon Coca.
Cacao is the name of a tree, Theobroma Cacao.

Cocoa is the name of a product, viz., the powdered fruit of the Theobroma Cacao, from which a part of the oil has been extracted.

Cocoa is a beverage prepared from the above with milk and sugar.

Chocolate is a beverage prepared from the crushed unexpressed fruit of the theobroma.

Chocolate is the term applied to a confection made from the above with sugar.

These words with the exception of chocolate are all usually pronounced “koko”.
Cocoa and Chocolate the Terms

Words and terminology of chocolate

Coco is the name of a tree, Cocos nucifera. Cocos nucifera is a large palm, growing up to 30 meters (98 ft) tall, with pinnate leaves 4–6 meters (13–20 ft) long, and pinnae 60–90 cm long; old leaves break away cleanly, leaving the trunk smooth.

Coca is the name of a shrub, Erythroxylon Coca. The coca leaves contain many alkaloids, one of which, cocaine, has gained notoriety as a narcotic, leading to the mistaken idea that coca equals cocaine.

Cacao is the name of a tree, Theobroma Cacao. The botanical name of cacao is Theobroma cacao, first defined by Carolus Linnaeus. The word ‘cacao’ is derived from the Olmec and the subsequent Mayan languages (Kakaw).

Cocoa is the name of a product, viz., the powdered fruit of the Theobroma Cacao, from which a part of the oil has been extracted. Cocoa is a beverage prepared from the above with milk and sugar.

Couverture: a glossy chocolate used for enrobing (couverture is French for “blanket”).

Cocoa liquor, cocoa mass: Also known as chocolate liquor, this is composed of roasted and ground cocoa nibs.

Chocolate is a beverage prepared from the crushed unexpressed fruit of the theobroma. The word ‘chocolate’ is derived from the Nahuatl (the Aztec language) term ‘cacahuatl’, which is in turn derived from Olmec/Mayan etymology. Chocolate is the term applied to a confection made from the above with sugar.

Alkalized Cocoa Powder: Dutch process powders which have been treated with alkali. They range from very light reddish brown to dark reddish-brown in color, and mild cocoa flavor to strong cocoa flavor.
Words and terminology of chocolate

A note on terminology

Coco is the name of a tree, Cocos nucifera.
Coca is the name of a shrub, Erythoxylon Coca.
Cacao is the name of a tree, Theobroma Cacao.

Within many Maya dialects spoken throughout Mexico and Central America, the term cacao is often interchangeable with the word chocolate as known today.

Cocoa is the powder made from the cacao bean, which is mashed into a paste then pounded to extract the cocoa butter and pulverized into a dry powder. It is believed the name ‘cocoa’ came about as the result of a misspelling by early English traders.

Cocoa is also modern version of beverage prepared from the above with milk and sugar. It is a beverage prepared from the crushed unexpressed fruit of the theobroma.

Chocolate is referred to the term applied to a confection made from the above with sugar.  It is a product of the fruit of the cacao tree. The fruits grow off the main trunk of the tree as pods, similar in size to deflated football. The trees can grow anywhere from 25 to 50 feet tall.

Couverture is a covering chocolate, specially formulated for coating or dipping. It has a higher percentage of cocoa butter than any other sweetened chocolate enabling it to flow easily and form thin, crisp coatings with a mellow flavor.

Chocolate liquor is the liquid or paste produced when cacao beans are roasted and gerund. It is the pure, roasted and refined cacao bean with no ingredients added.

Ganache is chocolate and cream blended together usually used as a filing for chocolate truffles or as filling or glaze for other confections.
A note on terminology