choco·late

Chocolate is a preparation of roasted and ground [grind的过去分词] cacao [kəˈka:əu 可可豆] seeds that is made in the form of a liquid, paste, or in a block, which may also be used as a flavoring ingredient in other foods.

cacao is the seed from which chocolate and cocoa are made. cocoa [可可], or cocoa powder, is dark brown powder made from crushed cacao seeds. coco, or coconut palm, is a tall tree on which coconuts grow.

The earliest signs of use are associated with Olmec sites (within what would become Mexico's post-colonial territory) suggesting consumption of chocolate beverages, dating from the 19th century BC. The majority of Mesoamerican [中美洲的] people made chocolate beverages, including the Maya and Aztecs. The English word "chocolate" comes, via Spanish, from the Classical Nahuatl [纳瓦特尔语] word xocolātl (cacahuatl). 纳瓦特尔语在西元七世纪到十六世纪晚期是美索亚美利加(指墨西哥中部到哥斯达黎加西北部的地区)大部份地区的通用语。

The seeds of the cacao tree have an intense bitter taste and must be fermented to develop the flavor. After fermentation, the beans are dried, cleaned, and roasted. The shell is removed to produce cacao nibs [可可粗粉], which are then ground to cocoa mass [可可糖膏], unadulterated [纯的]chocolate in rough form. Once the cocoa mass is liquefied by heating, it is called chocolate liquor. The liquor may also be cooled and processed into its two components: cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

Baking chocolate, also called bitter chocolate, contains cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions, without any added sugar. Powdered baking cocoa, which contains more fiber than cocoa butter, can be processed with alkali to produce dutch cocoa. Much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, a combination of cocoa solids, cocoa butter or added vegetable oils, and sugar. Milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk [炼乳]. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk, but no cocoa solids.

Chocolate is one of the most popular food types and flavors in the world, and many foodstuffs involving chocolate exist, particularly desserts, including cakes, pudding, mousse [鸡蛋+奶油], chocolate brownies [一种蛋糕], and chocolate chip cookies. Many candies are filled with or coated with sweetened chocolate. Chocolate bars, either made of solid chocolate or other ingredients coated in chocolate, are eaten as snacks. Chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, such as chocolate milk and hot chocolate.

Although cocoa originated in the Americas, West African countries, particularly Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana [加纳], are the leading producers of cocoa in the 21st century, accounting for some 60% of the world cocoa supply. 科特迪瓦（Côte d'Ivoire）全称科特迪瓦共和国（The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire），科特迪瓦在法语里意思是“象牙海岸”。应该国政府要求，中华人民共和国用音译名为科特迪瓦。联合国自1985年12月31日起使用此音译名。

With some two million children involved in the farming of cocoa in West Africa, child slavery and trafficking were major concerns in 2018. International attempts to improve conditions for children were failing because of persistent poverty, absence of schools, increasing world cocoa demand, more intensive farming of cocoa, and continued exploitation of child labor.

In 2020, Cote d'Ivoire was the world's biggest exporter of Cocoa Beans ($3.52B) and Cocoa Paste ($1.04B). The top exports of Cote d'Ivoire are Cocoa Beans ($3.52B), Rubber ($1.27B), Cocoa Paste ($1.04B), Gold ($987M), and Coconuts, Brazil Nuts, and Cashews ($725M), exporting mostly to Netherlands ($1.33B), Switzerland ($872M), United States ($867M), France ($826M), and Malaysia ($743M). The top imports of Cote d'Ivoire are Crude Petroleum ($913M), Rice ($551M), Non-fillet [未去骨的] Frozen Fish ($417M), Packaged Medicaments ($270M), and Cars ($172M), importing mostly from China ($2.33B), France ($1.25B), Nigeria ($899M), India ($499M), and Netherlands ($373M). [oec.world/en/profile/country/civ/]

In 2022, the approximate price range for US Cacao (Cocoa) paste is between US$ 3.46 and US$ 3.43 per kilogram or between US$ 1.57 and US$ 1.56 per pound (lb). The price in Euro is EUR 3.46 per kg. The average price for a tonne is US$ 3459.58 in New York and Washington.

在瑞士，一个巧克力品尝师的年薪是30多万瑞士法郎(200多万人民币)。公司为品尝师配备高级轿车，在每年的圣诞前放70天长假，并为品尝师的旅游买单。

六级/考研单词: roast, liquid, paste, flavor, ingredient, powder, crush, coconut, palm, territory, beverage, classic, intensive, liquor, component, fibre, consume, vegetation, condense, dessert, pudding, snack, million, slave, persist, exploit, import, rubber, nut, unite, crude, petroleum, freeze, profile, euro