Chocolate

Chocolate can be food or a drink. It is typically sweet and is made from ground-roasted cacao beans.

History
The oldest known chocolate beverage was consumed around 2,400 years ago in Mesoamerica. Mesoamericans, however, drank an unsweetened (sugarcane being an Old World plant and sugar beets not yet existing) and therefore very bitter form of chocolate which would be unpalatable to many lovers of modern, sweet chocolate. However, in the 21st century "100% cacao" chocolate is commonly available in better stocked supermarkets and even old Mesoamerican tastes like cacao and chili are popular once more.

While cacao is a New World plant, it is nowadays cultivated in the tropical regions of all continents, particularly Africa and the Americas. As the cocoa beans when processed sufficiently can be stored for months, chocolate production often has decades or even centuries of tradition in countries where no cocoa grows, for example Switzerland and Belgium.

Joseph Fry from England, who molded cacao butter into Dutch cocoa, is credited with inventing the modern chocolate bar in 1847.

The first milk chocolate bar was invented by the Swiss chocolatier Daniel Peter in 1875.

Types
There are three main types of chocolate bars:
 * Milk chocolate: Made with a minimum cocoa solids, some form of milk (powdered, condensed or liquid), and sugar
 * Dark chocolate: Has a higher percentage of cocoa, usually no milk, less sugar and contains cocoa butter as a source of fat
 * White chocolate: Made up of cocoa butter, milk and sugar.

There are many variations on these three basic types of solid chocolate. All sorts of flavors and concoctions can be added into chocolate bars, including nuts, caramel, nougat, wafers, spices, fruit and cream.

Milk chocolate is favored in the United States. However, in Europe, bittersweet dark and sometimes extremely dark chocolate is favored, both for hot cocoa and solid chocolate, and milk chocolate is considered at least in some European countries, such as Germany, to be only for children (Kinderschokolade).

Regions

 * Switzerland: The Swiss have a strong rivalry with the Belgians over chocolate and produce some of the most delicious chocolate in the world.
 * Switzerland: The Swiss have a strong rivalry with the Belgians over chocolate and produce some of the most delicious chocolate in the world.
 * Switzerland: The Swiss have a strong rivalry with the Belgians over chocolate and produce some of the most delicious chocolate in the world.
 * Switzerland: The Swiss have a strong rivalry with the Belgians over chocolate and produce some of the most delicious chocolate in the world.
 * Switzerland: The Swiss have a strong rivalry with the Belgians over chocolate and produce some of the most delicious chocolate in the world.
 * Switzerland: The Swiss have a strong rivalry with the Belgians over chocolate and produce some of the most delicious chocolate in the world.
 * Switzerland: The Swiss have a strong rivalry with the Belgians over chocolate and produce some of the most delicious chocolate in the world.
 * Switzerland: The Swiss have a strong rivalry with the Belgians over chocolate and produce some of the most delicious chocolate in the world.